Germany commemorated the deaths of 9 people, 4 of whom were Turkish, who were killed by a racist attacker, Tobias Rathjen, on February 19, 2020 in the city of Hanau. After flowers were placed on the graves of those who lost their lives, an official commemoration ceremony was held at Markplatz Square with the participation of Türkiye’s Frankfurt Consul General Erdem Tunçer, relatives of the victims, and representatives of non-governmental organizations.
Relatives of the victims expressed that they expect action rather than apologies and emphasized that the conveniences provided to Ukrainian refugees were not provided to them. It was also pointed out that the racists are “encouraged” by politicians who do not do what they are supposed to.
The racism and marginalization that young people are exposed to also was brought forward with a play called “Others”, which was composed of people from different nationalities and performed by the theater group named Hola.
Consul General Tunçer said in his speech: “Immigrants here have contributed to the development and progress of this country for years. It is our duty not to forget our sorrows and to remember them. Meanwhile, we have to build the future together. Therefore, I think we should remember this incident every day, not just on February 19.”
“Racism is a deadly poison. That’s why we will fight it as a society. We will fight together, side by side. We are stronger than the racists, whom we outnumber. From now on, we will not allow racism, extremism and those who are hostile to our values so that no one dies. The sufferings we endured taught us solidarity, cooperation, and lessons from our mistakes. We will no longer sweep mistakes under the rug. The names of those who died in the attack will always be remembered with the city of Hanau. We will never forget February 19 and the enmity,” said Hanau Mayor Claus Kaminsky.
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