Tens of thousands will pack Amsterdam’s canals this weekend, but added security and the city’s resolve promise a celebration that refuses to bow to fear.

In Amsterdam this weekend, hundreds of thousands of visitors and local residents will line the city’s canals for the main day of WorldPride, promising a bright and loud celebration of LGBTQ+, especially in the wake of last week’s deadly attack in Berlin on Pride.

It is expected that hundreds of boats, adorned with rainbow flags and balloons, will glide through the city, and a large portion of the crowd along the banks in bright costumes will witness the parade.

The Canal Parade is the annual highlight of Amsterdam Pride – the city that this year hosts WorldPride thanks to Pride organizers from around the world. The motto of the two-week events across the Netherlands is “UNITY”.

VISIBLE AND HIDDEN SECURITY MEASURES

Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema said that the city will implement additional security measures in response to the Berlin attack, in which one person was killed and more than thirty were wounded after a van plowed into a crowd; the suspect was subsequently shot by German police. The city will employ both visible and hidden security measures.

A representative of Amsterdam Pride assured that preparations for the event are proceeding as planned, and the heightened security has not shifted the focus on inclusivity.

“The aim of terrorism is to sow fear, and we must not give in to it.”

– Caspar Pisters

THE BERLIN ATTACK HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF PRIDE

25-year-old Juliana van der Heide, who will be on a boat on Saturday, noted that the Berlin attack proves how important and needed Pride is today.

On Tuesday, thousands of people took part in a memorial ceremony for the victims of the Berlin attack, laying flowers at Amsterdam’s Homomonument – the canal memorial created from pink granite triangles in memory of victims of discrimination based on orientation.

The Berlin attack, according to Caspar Pisters from the Dutch HIV Association, will stay in everyone’s mind; but he added: “As long as there are people, there will be LGBTQ+ people, and no amount of violence, not even a million bombs, can change that.”

Mik Groeneveld from Queer Museum, an organization working to establish a permanent LGBTQ museum in the Netherlands, noted that the attack highlighted the community’s vulnerability. “At the same time, hiding yourself is not the answer”.

To sum up the event, the local community continues to demonstrate its commitment to equal rights and the safety of all people, regardless of orientation or gender identity.