Following the Islamist terrorist attack during Berlin Pride, several leading European gay figures have broken with the left over its unwillingness to confront Islam. They openly warn that tolerance of intolerance threatens Western freedoms and the existence of gay people in Europe.
During the Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin, a 21-year-old Lebanese man drove a van into the crowd. One person was killed and several dozen injured. The perpetrator, who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State, was shot and killed by the police.
– It is about security, freedom of expression and a life without fear
Several Pride organisers came out in defence of ‘multiculturalism’ and warned against ‘right-wing extremism’. Other prominent gay voices point to the left’s dangerous naivety and fear of criticising Islam lest they be accused of Islamophobia:
- Islam is fundamentally hostile towards homosexuality.
- Mass immigration from countries where homosexuality is prohibited or punishable increases the risk of violence and social control.
- The left’s focus on ‘Islamophobia’ makes it difficult to speak openly about the problem.
The German LGBT activist René Powilleit stated that gay people in Europe increasingly experience Islam as a direct threat to their rights, and warned against political alliances with groups that do not share fundamental liberal values. Similar views have been advanced by other gay public commentators in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Several emphasise an existential contradiction between Western culture, in which gay people have fought for and won rights, and an ideology that oppresses and criminalises them.
Opinion polls show that a growing proportion of gay voters in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Spain support parties critical of immigration. For many, it is no longer about the classic right versus left divide, but about security, freedom of expression and the right to live without fear.
New polling and recent elections suggest a growing share of gay male voters in several European countries are backing right-wing parties, with immigration and public safety cited as key issues.
Germany: A 2026 Romeo survey found 27.9% of gay respondents preferred Alternative for… pic.twitter.com/5xBSrbHNvV
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 1, 2026
The criticism from parts of the gay community reveals a division between those who regard criticism of immigration as ‘hatred’ and those who believe that the greatest threat to gay people in Europe today comes from imported Islam—not from the traditional right.