After the racist attack on February 19, 2020, in which nine people were murdered, the monument to the Brothers Grimm on Hanau's market square automatically developed into the central memorial.

Pictures of the dead, flowers and candles lined the base of the monument.

That is history now.

In agreement with the relatives of the victims, the memorial objects were cleared one year after the attack.

The monument is currently being restored.

Luise Glaser-Lotz

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Main-Kinzig district.

  • Follow I follow

    The families of the victims also agreed to free the memorial because there should be a separate, artistically designed memorial in Hanau.

    The city wants to find a suitable suggestion for what this should look like through a competition.

    It was advertised in October last year.

    According to Mayor Claus Kaminsky (SPD), the memorial is intended to pay tribute to the nine murdered and at the same time be directed towards the future by expressing topics such as social diversity, coexistence and community.

    Twelve works for further selection

    According to the city, 118 artists submitted their designs. An advisory board examined the proposals and recommended twelve papers for closer selection. A jury chaired by the mayor, which also includes relatives of the victims, then narrowed the selection down to eight designs. The artists should now make models of their work. The results will be presented to the public in a city forum in September, announced Martin Hoppe, head of the culture department of the city of Hanau. Only then should the names of the competition participants be publicly announced and location suggestions discussed, because it has not yet been determined where the memorial should be erected.

    After the city forum, the jury will choose their favorites, so that the memorial will be ready for the second anniversary of the attack on February 19, 2022, if possible. There are memorial plaques with pictures and biographical details of the victims at the attack sites, the Heumarkt in the city center and Kurt-Schumacher-Platz in Kesselstadt. Three of the victims are buried in the main cemetery. They rest in honor graves on the Muslim burial ground. Memorial stones commemorate the six other dead who were buried in other locations. There is also a board there with the pictures and descriptions of the lives of all those who were murdered. As part of the “Hanau stands together” campaign, the city also installed a website called a digital monument. It is not only remembered about the victims,but also, among other things, information on coping with grief and the opportunity to express opinions.

    The memory of what happened and the confrontation with it is present in many places in Hanau.

    The attack was dealt with intensively, especially in many schools.

    Just now, students from the Lindenau School in Hanau Großauheim have planted an apple tree in the schoolyard in memory of the victims of the attack.

    The school is part of the “School without Racism - School with Courage” network.

    “We must never forget what happened on February 19, 2020 in Hanau.

    But we need more than memory.

    We need change in society, ”said Serpil Unvar, the mother of the killed Ferhat Unvar, in a small ceremony.

    Look to France

    Lord Mayor Kaminsky also recalled the murder of Samuel Paty, who was a teacher at the French partner school Collège du Bois-d'Aulne in Conflans Sainte-Honorine and was beheaded on the street by an Islamist-motivated assassin for teaching his students freedom of expression wanted. One should not miss an opportunity to show that racism, violence and extremism are a dangerous wrong track, said Kaminsky. Headmaster Herrmann Alig handed over the Lindenau School's condolence book for the events of February 19, 2020 to Serpil Unvar, and asked her to deliver it to the relatives of the other victims.

    Meanwhile, the “February 19th Hanau Initiative”, which also includes families and friends of the victims, and the Association of Advice Centers for People Affected by Right-Wing, Racist and Anti-Semitic Violence (VBRG) are calling for specific help.

    This week, the two groups handed over a petition with around 53,000 signatures in Wiesbaden to the address of the state government.

    The establishment of a right-wing terrorism victim fund for the bereaved and survivors of the Hanau attack is required.

    Clarification required

    The demands of the bereaved and survivors for education, law enforcement and appropriate support must finally be met, said Newroz Duman of the initiative. 16 months after the attack and with the expiry of sickness benefits in August 2021, those affected needed material security that would enable them to grieve after the traumatic loss of their family members and a future perspective beyond a life in poverty, said Judith Porath from the board of the VBRG. The state government is planning to set up a fund of two million euros for "victims of crimes of national importance"