Victims of Solingen attack remembered on 31st anniversary

SOLINGEN

A commemoration ceremony has been held for victims of the 1993 Solingen arson attack that claimed the lives of five Turks in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia State.

On May 29, 1993, in the city of Solingen, the house of the Genç family was set on fire by far-right extremists, and five people, three of them children, were killed in the attack.

The attack, described as a racist and politically motivated assault, led to violent protests by Turkish diaspora members in several German cities and large-scale demonstrations by many expressing solidarity with the Turkish victims.

On May 29, the Turkish Foreign Ministry took to social media to remember the incident in its 31st year.

“We remember the Genç family who lost their lives in the racist Solingen attack with respect and mercy. We also remember with respect and gratitude Mevlüde Genç, who lost her family members in the attack, but taught the world a lesson of humanity with her calls for restraint,” the ministry said in the statement on X.

Türkiye will continue its fight against racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia with determination, the statement added.

In addition to the commemoration at the site of the incident in Germany, the Turkish city of Amasya, where the victims are buried, also hosted a ceremony.

Perpetrators Markus Gartmann, Felix Köhnen, Christian Reher and Christian Buchholz were released after serving their prison sentences. The attackers continue their lives in Germany.

The German city recently witnessed a similar incident as four Turkish-origin Bulgarian citizens, including two children, on March 25 lost their lives in the fire that occurred in a four-story building.

Authorities informed that traces of explosive material found in the apartment indicated arson. The prosecutor emphasized that there is no connection between the recent incident and the arson, adding that the suspect was also under scrutiny for drug-related offenses.