Berlin club [ipsə] severely damaged following arson attack

News

Berlin club [ipsə] has been severely damaged following an arson attack in the early hours of Monday morning, 27th April.

Emergency services arrived at the club shortly after 5 AM on Monday. According to a tweet from the Berlin Fire Brigade, the fire filled the 400 square metre interior of the venue. One firefighter was injured while tackling the blaze and was taken to hospital. As Der Tagesspiegel reports, the blaze was brought under control by 1 30 PM. 

A statement shared by [ipsə] confirmed that the blaze had been caused by arson, and that it had led to the “complete destruction of the entire indoor area and parts of the outdoor area” of the club.

“Standing in the ruins of what dozens of people put years of energy and passion into is almost excruciating – and it is unbearable to imagine that this happened purposefully,” the club’s statement reads. 

It goes on to explain that, given the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, “insurance companies won’t compensate the damage to our entire inventory, including the technical equipment”. 

Read [ipsə]’s full statement below. 

A donation page has been set up to help [ipsə] pay for damages and rebuild. You can donate here. 

Photo credit: Rob VonHier