Love Parade tragedy

Love Parade started in Berlin by the hand of Dr Motte and his girlfriend in July 1989. It mainly represented a peaceful protest and very soon achieved the status of being one of Europe’s largest techno parades. The first event counted with 150 ravers and the 2010 tragic and last ever event had around 1,400,000 participants.

The tragedy happened in July 2010 in the city of Duisburg. Twenty-one people died and 650 were injured under the 400 meter-long tunnel which was part of the main entrance to the event.

In the most recent trial, charges have been dropped against seven defendants due to lack of evidence to support the case which aimed to prove individual guilt of involuntary manslaughter and bodily harm. Among the seven defendants are six Duisburg city workers and one event organiser. The other three remaining organisers on trial rejected an offer to pay €10,000 to end the case and for that reason, still remain on trial.

Many survivors are still struggling with the effects of the tragedy and still look for justice. Accidents do happen but this one could have been controlled if in the first place the number of participants was significantly less, if there was no tunnel in the event area, if there was adequate fencing, if there was a public announcement system, if there were more security guards and if there were no mistakes by the police and organisation. Too many “ifs” will not revert what has happened but can certainly work for future music events. What I have learned is that although Health & Safety can be a pain in the arse, it also prevents a lot of bad things from happening.

Finally, recent news confirm that the Berlin DJ Dr. Motte shared his will of making a new edition and he’s now working in a fundraising campaign to measure if people also want another Love Parade edition.

References:

Deutsche Welle (2020). German DJ wants to revive Loveparade techno festival. [online] Deutsche Welle. Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/german-dj-wants-to-revive-loveparade-techno-festival/a-51991114 [Accessed 26 Feb. 2020]

Dundon, A. (2018). Exploring the Rise and Fall of Berlin's Iconic Love Parade. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/germany/articles/exploring-the-rise-and-fall-of-berlins-iconic-love-parade/ [Accessed 26 Feb. 2020]

Eede, C. (2019). Love Parade deaths trial: charges dropped against seven defendants.[online] DJ Mag. Available at: https://djmag.com/news/love-parade-deaths-trial-charges-dropped-against-seven-defendants [Accessed 26 Feb. 2020]

Wolfgang, D. (2017). Love Parade disaster: Looking those responsible in the eye. [online] Deutsche Welle. Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/love-parade-disaster-looking-those-responsible-in-the-eye/a-41704172 [Accessed 26 Feb. 2020]