Victoria native saw fallout from fatal Berlin truck attack
A Victoria native now living in Berlin said she witnessed the aftermath of the truck attack against a Christmas market that left 12 people dead and at least 48 injured on Monday.
Natasha Enquist was in a film shoot at a rooftop lounge in the Europa Centre in Berlin when she noticed the flashing lights of police and ambulance vehicles about 150 metres away. She could see a large transport truck on the sidewalk and kiosks from the market pushed aside from the force of the crash.
“We thought it was a bus accident at first,” said Enquist. “And as the evening has gone on we’ve been getting the news and finding out that one person is dead, and then nine people are dead and people are injured.”
Enquist said she was shocked to learn of an apparently deliberate attack on the Christmas market, a place popular with tourists and families. The attack happened on Budapester Street, a busy area populated with high-end shops and restaurants.
The suspected driver was arrested two kilometres from the scene, and a passenger in the truck died.
Nearby shopping centres, such as the Bikini Berlin, were evacuated. Enquist and others in the film shoot waited to hear if the Europa Centre would be evacuated. The film crew did not have to leave.
She said that as she exited the building later in the evening to go home, the streets were filled with heavily armed police.
Enquist said it’s already a tense time in Berlin after the election of Donald Trump, who has fuelled anxiety with his proposal for “extreme vetting” of Muslims who want to enter the U.S.
Germany welcomed one million refugees in 2015, but that welcoming stance has triggered an antiimmigrant backlash, particularly after two violent attacks were carried out by asylum seekers in July.
“I feel like it’s so tense already and it’s going to get more tense,” said Enquist, an accordion player and singer who moved from Victoria to Berlin in 2012 to advance her career.
Enquist said she doesn’t want this attack to change her daily habits out of fear.
“Do we have to avoid Christmas markets now?” she asked. Enquist has seen friends living in Berlin reacting to the incident with a defiant tone, one posting on social media: “I’m safe and I’m not scared.”
The attack bears similarities to events in Nice on July 14, in which a truck barrelled into crowds at a Bastille Day celebration, killing 86 people. The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks to attack crowds.