Six months ago, the attack with nine dead in Hanau caused horror throughout Germany. Representatives of relatives call for consequences and more commitment so that racially motivated acts of violence like these do not repeat themselves.
Hanau (dpa) - Half a year after the racially motivated attack in Hanau, relatives, representatives from politics and initiatives as well as citizens thought of the nine victims - with a minute's silence and the demand for complete clarification of the crime.
At times, according to police estimates, more than 120 people came to the event on Hanau's market square, at which Mayor Claus Kaminsky (SPD) also spoke. City society will never forget "the most terrible day Hanau has experienced in peacetime," said Kaminsky. He assured the relatives, who had a right to the investigation, that they would not be left alone and would continue to support them.
On the evening of February 19, a 43-year-old German shot nine people with foreign roots in Hanau. He is also said to have killed his mother before killing himself. Before the act, the man had published pamphlets with conspiracy theories and racist views on the Internet.
For the "February 19th Initiative", co-founder Newroz Duman demanded a complete clarification of the crime and its consequences. "You have to learn from the mistakes too," said Duman. The chairwoman of the Hanau Foreigners Advisory Council, Selma Yilmaz-Ilkhan, declared that it is the duty of every individual to raise their voices louder against any kind of discrimination, racism and hatred. "Something like this must never happen again," warned Yilmaz-Ilkhan. At the same time she called for participation in the demonstration planned for this Saturday (August 22) in Hanau. Around 3,000 participants are now expected.
Hanau's mayor said that six months after the crime it was also a concern of the city to present the image of remembrance in a slightly different way. A new banner with the inscription "No space for racism and violence - Hanau stands together - for respect, tolerance and moral courage" is now attached to the town hall. Wherever this message is lived, "there is a chance of peaceful and good cooperation". At the same time, this contradicts "all those who believe that the future of people can be better shaped by driving people apart, by placing what divides as much as possible in the foreground".
As a reference to the date of the crime, the participants remembered the victims with a minute's silence at 7:02 p.m. In addition to the new banner, the floral decorations on the Brothers Grimm memorial were renewed for the memorial event and a memorial plaque with portrait photos of the dead was attached. Nine chairs with portraits of the dead were set up symbolically and short résumés were read out. At the two crime scenes as well as at the graves in the main cemetery, signs will in future remind of the dead.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200819-99-231854 / 2