Türkiye on Friday commemorated the victims of the racist arson attack in the German city of Solingen, marking the 33rd anniversary of one of the deadliest xenophobic attacks targeting Turkish immigrants in Germany.
In a statement shared on social media, the Turkish Foreign Ministry paid tribute to the five members of the Genç family who were killed when extremists set fire to their home in Solingen on May 29, 1993.
The ministry also honored Mevlüde Genç, widely known in Türkiye and Germany for her calls for unity and restraint despite losing five relatives in the attack. Genç, who died in 2022, became a symbol of reconciliation between the Turkish and German communities.
The ministry reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to combating racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia, warning against the rise of discriminatory ideologies across Europe.
The Solingen attack claimed the lives of Gürsün Ince, 28, Gülüstan Öztürk, 12, Hatice Genç, 19, Hülya Genç, 9, and Saime Genç, 5.
The four perpetrators, Markus Gartmann, Felix Köhnen, Christian Reher and Christian Buchholz, were convicted and later released after serving their prison sentences. German authorities have kept their identities and whereabouts confidential following their release, and they are believed to continue living in Germany.
The attack remains a painful symbol of far-right violence against immigrants in Germany.
