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After a deadly weekend attack at a Pride event in Germany, Capital Pride says it will review its security measures for Ottawa’s upcoming parade and street festival.
On Saturday night in Berlin, a man allegedly drove a vehicle into a crowd during the city’s annual celebrations, got out and stabbed people with a machete.
One person died and 29 others were injured, according to German authorities, who are calling it an Islamist extremist terror attack. The suspect, a 21-year-old German citizen, was killed following a nearly 24-hour search.
“[Pride is] about celebrating people’s identities, being able to go be out and proud. And to have that marred with something this horrific is heartbreaking,” said David Breault, chair of Capital Pride’s board of directors, on Sunday.
Over the years, Capital Pride has had to boost security, Breault said — partially because it’s grown, but also in response to growing anti-2SLGBTQ+ sentiment.
David Breault is the chair of the board of directors for Capital Pride in Ottawa. (Antoine Fontaine/Radio-Canada)
Breault told Radio-Canada that the organization is going to have more conversations “in the coming weeks” to decide if they will strengthen or change their security measures.
“Unfortunately, by virtue of it being Pride, we plan for this kind of thing. But of course we hope it doesn’t happen.”
The attack in Berlin came just as a new, independent Pride festival called Chez Nous was kicking off in Ottawa.
The festival — which organizers say is put on by and for 2SLGBTQ+ Africans and newcomers to Canada — ran all weekend, with a ball at SAW Gallery on Saturday and an information fair and performances at McNabb Park on Sunday.
A drag queen performs at McNabb Park in Ottawa on July 26, 2026 for Chez Nous. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)
“We don’t often see folks that look like me in roles of leadership [in 2SLGBTQ+ organizations],” said Yami Msosa, one of the Chez Nous organizers.
“It’s reflective [of] a Pride movement where often racialized newcomers, Africans, folks from different diasporas often have to fight to be heard.”
Msosa said Chez Nous is designed to be a festival where “Africanness is centred.”
That means people coming together, bringing their kids, and hearing the songs of their ancestors, Msosa said — but also hearing from the community how 2SLGBTQ+ rights have been deteriorating in some African nations over the last few years.
Ghana, Senegal, and Niger have all enacted new laws this year cracking down on 2SLGBTQ+ people, with measures that include increasing prison time or introducing a “duty to report” same-sex sexual activity to police or other authorities.
Msosa added that they’re praying for everyone affected by the violence in Berlin.
“[When] violence ensues, it creates a moment of pause [to think] about what does it mean to truly be safe and what does it truly mean to celebrate who you are,” they said.
Yami Msosa is one of the organizers of Chez Nous, a Pride festival for Africans and newcomers to Canada in Ottawa. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC)
For Hiliya-Kin Robleh, who attended Chez Nous on Sunday with the AIDS Committee of Ottawa, the attack in Berlin showed her that there’s still a need for Pride.
“[There’s been] a lot of progress,” she told Radio-Canada in French. “But it’s never enough.”