Actor Tomás Taborda expressed his sadness following the attack in Berlin, which left one person dead and 29 injured during an LGBTQ+ march. The actor criticized the normalization of hatred and violence against the community.
Actor Tomás Taborda took to social media to express his sadness and shock regarding the brutal attack that occurred in Berlin, Germany, last Saturday during an LGBTQ+ march—an incident that resulted in one death and at least 29 injuries.
It is worth noting that a white van drove into a crowd gathered in Tiergarten park, near the parade route, and the perpetrator was shot dead by police the following day.
“I woke up heartbroken today. One person lost their life and several others were injured in the attack on Berlin Pride. Before any reflection, my thoughts today are with them, their families, and the entire community.
But after seeing the news, I made the mistake of reading the comments on social media. I read people celebrating the violence. I read people ridiculing the victims. I read comments dehumanizing LGBTQIA+ people, as if our rights and our lives were up for debate,” he began. “Little by little, hate stops hiding. It materializes. It becomes more common, more acceptable, more openly expressed. And that scares me almost as much as the violence itself. Lately, I’ve felt increasingly afraid of gestures that ought to be simple—like holding the hand of the person I love. I find myself wondering where I am, who is around me, whether someone might insult us, or if a certain look could escalate into something more. It is sad to feel fear occupying a space that should belong only to love. And perhaps that is what hurts me the most about what happened in Berlin.
Pride has always been much more than a celebration. It is a space where so many people finally feel they can let their guard down. A place where they can exist without asking for permission, without hiding who they are, and without living in a state of constant vigilance. The thought that even this space might cease to be safe is deeply painful. That is precisely why Pride remains indispensable,”
“Not because love needs justification. Not because our existence needs validation. But because there are still those who believe some lives are worth less than others. Because hate speech doesn’t stay confined to the internet. When it is normalized, it creates the very ground where violence grows.”
