The North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament held a commemoration ceremony to honor the victims of the far-right arson attack, which killed five members of a Turkish family in Solingen in 1993.
The ceremony was organized in the North Rhine-Westphalia parliament, at the unanimous request of all the political parties represented, which also called for an intensification of pressure to investigate crimes committed by far-right groups.
The Solingen attack is deemed one of the most serious incidents in the history of the Federal Republic, as acknowledged by members of parliament who observed a minute of silence to honor the victims.
The nameplate of Mevlüde Genç, along with those of her five family members who tragically lost their lives in the attack 30 years ago, has been placed at an anti-racism monument as a lasting tribute. She passed away on Oct. 30, 2022.
Kamil Genç, who lost two daughters, two sisters, and a niece in that attack, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that this racist tragedy will be narrated to future generations.
The Islamic Community National View (IGMG) issued a statement to commemorate the victims, emphasizing that on the 30th anniversary of the attack, history repeats itself.
Solingen attack
In the town of Solingen in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, the Genç family home on Untere Werner Street was targeted on May 29, 1993.
Four racist perpetrators, identified as Markus Gartmann, Felix Kohnen, Christian Reher and Christian Buchholz, set the house on fire.
The assailants were released after serving their prison sentences.
Since their release, all four individuals, whose identities had been kept confidential, have continued to reside in Germany.
Turks in Germany, largely descending from the country's "guest workers" who arrived to aid the post-World War II development boom, often complain of racist attacks and lack of follow-up in police investigations on such incidents.
Germany has witnessed growing anti-Islam and anti-migrant sentiments in recent years triggered by far-right parties, which have exploited fears over the refugee crisis and terrorism. Police recorded 813 hate crimes against Muslims last year. At least 54 Muslims were injured in the attacks, which were carried out mostly by far-right extremists.