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Hanau (AP) - One year after the racially motivated attack in Hanau with nine dead, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has demanded clarification of all open questions.
At the same time he called on the citizens to stick together.
“Clarification and processing are not at your own discretion.
You are the responsibility of the state to the public and above all to the relatives, "said Steinmeier on Friday at the memorial event in Hanau, according to the speech manuscript published in advance.
The 43-year-old German Tobias R. shot nine people with foreign roots in several places in the city in the Rhine-Main area on the evening of February 19, 2020, before allegedly killing his mother and ultimately himself.
He had previously posted pamphlets and videos of conspiracy theories and racist views on the Internet.
The act had caused horror throughout Germany.
The “February 19th Hanau Initiative”, an association of Hanau family members, speaks of a “failure of the authorities before, during and after the crime”.
Steinmeier said he knew that there had been criticism and questions about government action and that there was still going on.
The state and those who bear responsibility in it are not infallible either.
Where there have been errors or misjudgments must be clarified.
«Only to the extent that this obligation is removed and answers to open questions are given, can lost trust grow again.
That is why we have to try so hard.
The state is challenged. "
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A year after the attack, the grief had by no means subsided, the pain subsided, the anger evaporated, all questions answered, Steinmeier said.
“But as Federal President I stand here and ask us: Do not allow the evil deed to divide us!
Let us not overlook the evil spirits in our midst - hatred, marginalization, indifference.
But let's believe in the better spirit of our country, in our strength to be together, to be together!
Steinmeier thanked the city of Hanau and its citizens for their "community involvement" after the attack, which he had rarely seen in this form and variety.
He said to the families of the relatives: "I am here because I am deeply depressed that our state has not been able to keep its promise of protection, security and freedom that it gives to all who live peacefully here together with your relatives."
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210219-99-510068 / 3