Memorial rainbow bench for CSD terror victims in Tiergarten destroyed – police investigating
The rainbow bench, erected just weeks ago at the memorial site in Berlin's Tiergarten, has been destroyed by severe violent damage. Police are investigating the property damage and have brought in state security.
Rainbow bench at CSD memorial site in Tiergarten wilfully damaged
At the memorial site for victims of the terror attack on Berlin's Christopher Street Day, a rainbow bench that had been erected only recently has been destroyed. As BILD reports, the damage was discovered on Tuesday morning. Photos from the scene near Bellevueallee and Ahornsteig in the Tiergarten show a severely demolished bench.
The brightly painted bench had been installed in early August together with a newly planted maple tree as a sign of remembrance and solidarity with the queer community. The Mitte district authority had created the location following the terror attack on 25 July 2026.
According to Berlin police, the bench was destroyed by "severe violent damage" and is now to be completely removed. Initially the incident was not known to police, but according to BILD, a patrol has since checked the location. The investigation is currently proceeding on grounds of property damage. It remains unclear exactly when the bench was damaged and whether this was deliberate vandalism.
A police spokesperson told BILD that officers are in contact with state security — the investigation could potentially be expanded. It is also being examined whether additional benches in the immediate vicinity were damaged.
"It is shocking that the memorial bench was smashed to pieces after just a few days. Protection of queer life in Berlin seems increasingly to be wishful thinking," Stefan M. (38), a Berlin resident, told BILD.
The memorial site remembers the victims of the attack on 25 July 2026. At around 22:00 on that Saturday, a 21-year-old attacker drove a van into a crowd of people in the Tiergarten and subsequently attacked several people with a machete. A 65-year-old woman died as a result, and 31 others were injured. In the weeks after the attack, numerous people visited the scene and left flowers and candles. The rainbow bench was intended to serve as a permanent place of contemplation — it has now apparently been deliberately destroyed.
Source: BILD