Mourning, remembrance, promises of solidarity and resolute action against racism shaped the speeches at the central commemoration ceremony on the second anniversary of the Hanau attack.

At the same time, there was clear criticism from the victims' relatives of the way the judiciary, police and authorities dealt with the bereaved and demands for full clarification and support.

Almost all speakers took the opportunity to give the full names of those killed.

Around 100 invited guests, mainly representatives of state and federal politics and the victims' relatives, had gathered on Saturday morning at the main cemetery in the city of Hanau.

The commemoration took place on the Muslim burial ground.

Three of those killed on February 19, 2020 by the racially motivated assassin Tobias R. are buried there in honorary graves.

Luise Glaser-Lotz

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

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The perpetrator, who grew up in Hanau, shot indiscriminately at people with a migration background that evening two years ago.

Eight young men and one woman died on the Heumarkt in the city center and on Kurt-Schumacher-Platz in the western part of Hanau.

The assassin then killed his mother and himself at their nearby home.

"We can only guess what was taken from you, we can at best try to empathize with your pain," said Hanau's Mayor Claus Kaminsky (SPD) in his opening speech to the relatives.

"You have the right to know what actually happened on the night of the crime and before, where mistakes may have been made, how bad things could have been prevented," said Kaminsky, referring to the criticism repeatedly expressed by relatives since the attack processing of the event.

The committee of inquiry set up by the Hessian state parliament will make an important contribution to the investigation, said Kaminsky.

At the same time, he criticized the termination of the investigation by the federal prosecutor.

However, the fight against racism and hatred cannot be left to government agencies alone.

"We are all called upon to work daily for peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity," says Kaminsky.

With the words: "We are standing here at their graves and I bow deeply", the Hessian Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) paid tribute to the victims.

The terrorist act on February 19, 2020 shook the city, the country and all of Germany.

Those killed would not be forgotten.

But it is not certain whether all remaining questions can be answered.

Above all, the question of whether the assassination could have been prevented also moves him.

Bouffier commented on the often criticized handling of the authorities with the victims' families with the words: "It was an extraordinary situation that must also be taken into account.

But that doesn't rule out dealing with relatives in a more sensitive way.