Fierté Montréal boosts security following deadly attack at Berlin Pride festival

Fierté Montréal organizers say they’re increasing security measures ahead of this year’s festival in response to the deadly attack at Berlin Pride that left one person dead and 29 injured.

With festivities set to begin Aug. 1, Fierté Montréal says security remains its top priority.

“We add(ed) more infrastructure, more agents because it’s just necessary this year,” said interim general director Higino Monteiro.

Fierté Montréal has allocated 10 per cent of the festival’s budget to security, according to organizers.

Among the heightened measures, vehicle barriers will be installed at intersections along the pedestrianized section of Sainte-Catherine Street East in the Village, as well as along René-Lévesque Boulevard during the Pride parade to prevent unauthorized vehicles from entering the route.

At Olympic Park, Fierté says all festival-goers will have to pass through a metal detector.

For the Aug. 9 parade, the organization says 300 security personnel will oversee the operations, and police vehicles will block “all side streets and emergency overpasses along the parade route to prevent any vehicles from entering.”

The additional precautions come after the Berlin Pride attack when a man allegedly drove a van into a crowd near the festival before stabbing others with a machete.

The suspect was killed following a search that lasted nearly 24 hours after the attack, which authorities believe was an Islamic extremist terror attack.

“The events in Berlin deeply sadden us,” Monteiro previously said. “We express our full solidarity with the organization, those affected, their loved ones, and the entire community.”

Fierté Montréal told CityNews that festival organizers are working closely with law enforcement to review security procedures, including analyzing “every entrance and passageway.”

Despite the attack, organizers say Pride remains about more than celebration.

“We are not just a festival, we are also protest,” Monteiro said. “We have to continue to protest for equal rights but also dignity.”

The attack has also garnered a response from organizers of Montreal’s anti-capitalist Pride march, Wild Pride.

“The events in Berlin are a reminder of why demonstrations like Pride remain necessary,” said organizer Heesh. “We’re choosing to continue it because there is so much work to do.”

Both organizations are also expressing solidarity with Berlin’s queer community, saying Pride is about more than celebration.

“We will be marching with you in our minds and with you in our hearts,” Heesh said.

“We strongly condemn this attack and call for unity within our movements to support our communities and protect the spaces that allow all people to live their identity freely, celebrate, and advocate safely,” Monteiro added.