Enlarge image
Commemoration in Hanau on February 17th.
Photo: Boris Roessler / dpa
Four years after the racist attack in Hanau, the federal anti-discrimination commissioner, Ferda Ataman, made serious accusations about Germany's treatment of survivors and those affected. "The state and authorities in our country have a duty to draw conclusions after an attack like the one in Hanau so that such acts do not happen again," said Ataman of the Funke media group. "Unfortunately, one has to say: Germany has failed in this regard so far."
On February 19, 2020, 43-year-old Tobias R. shot nine people in Hanau for racist motives. He then killed his mother and himself. On Monday, the victims will be remembered at a memorial hour in the city's main cemetery.
“Even four years after the terrorist attack, many of those affected and members of the state and authorities feel abandoned,” said Ataman. She pointed out that the Hessian Interior Minister had still not apologized for the “documented mistakes of the police.” There were reports that 911 was understaffed that night and an emergency exit was blocked. In both cases, the Hanau public prosecutor stopped the investigation. There is no memorial for the victims in the central market square. Relatives are still being harassed by the perpetrator's father.
more on the subject
Hanau attack: “The man is a ticking time bomb. And at the moment it's ticking pretty loudly«Sara Wess reports from Hanau
With a view to the political consequences of the attack, Ataman sharply criticized the FDP parliamentary group in particular for, in his view, delaying the Democracy Promotion Act. "It's a disgrace that the FDP is blocking it and calling it a supposedly left-wing ideological project," said Ataman. The delay is a “shameful signal to millions of people who are committed to fighting extremism in Germany.”
The Democracy Promotion Act is intended to provide clubs and organizations that work to strengthen democracy and prevent extremism with a better financial basis.
Ataman warned against declaring refugees and Muslims “scapegoats” and thus fueling racism. »You can have critical migration debates without making Muslims and migrants scapegoats for the problems in the country. Yet this is exactly what happens again and again.«
Even after the attack in Hanau, people with a migration background were still being “publicly stigmatized,” said Ataman. This has to come to an end. She continued: “Migration and diversity are as much a part of Germany as bratwurst and allotment gardens.”
Around 5,000 people demonstrate in Hanau
According to police reports, around 5,000 people took to the streets in Hanau on Saturday to remember the victims of the attack. Many had signs with the photos and names of those killed. After a protest march through Hanau, a rally took place on the market square in the afternoon.
“The warning that follows the racist terror in Hanau four years ago could not be more timely,” explained Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), also referring to the recent “revelations about right-wing extremist networks and their expulsion fantasies.” Faeser demanded that “all democratic forces must take seriously the threat that right-wing extremism poses to many people in our country and act.”
mgo/AFP/dpa