Techno parade Rave The Planet in Berlin has begun

The Rave The Planet techno parade began with a minute's silence in Berlin's Tiergarten. Thousands of participants paused briefly to remember the victims of the Islamist terrorist attack on the sidelines of Christopher Street Day three weeks ago. The organizers expected up to 300,000 participants.

At the opening rally, Dr. Motte, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Rave The Planet, urged participants to think about love. A representative of the CSD association said: »Let us be courageous. Let's take a stand. Especially now.”

The parade, registered as a demonstration, moves along the Street of June 17th between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column, not far from the place where an Islamist assassin drove a van into a group of people on July 25th and then allegedly stabbed those present with a machete. One woman was killed and at least 31 people were injured, some seriously.

1,500 police officers on duty

The event will take place under increased security precautions. The Berlin police have around 1,500 officers on duty. In addition, helicopters and drones will rise above the site.

Numerous streets and paths around the zoo were closed. Because of the event, S-Bahn trains no longer stop at the Brandenburg Gate. The Brandenburg Gate and Bundestag subway stations are also not served.

Rave The Planet follows on from the Love Parade, the now legendary techno culture parade, and is committed to preserving electronic music culture. The motto of this year's fifth edition is Imagine Love.