Racist Assassinations in Hanau

Exactly one year ago, the racist assassinations in Hanau unsettled Germany deeply. We remember the victims and their families


Today, one year has passed since the right-wing extremist Tobias Rathjen committed his racist attack. Gökhan Gültekin, Sedat Gürbüz, Said Nesar Hashemi, Mercedes Kierpacz, Hamza Kurtović, Vili Viorel Păun, Fatih Saraçoğlu, Ferhat Unvar and Kaloyan Velkov were murdered due to racist motives. This attack presents yet another warning to take right-wing extremism seriously as a socio-political issue and to forge a strong alliance between the state, civil-society and science. However, at the same time, it must not be forgotten that everyday fellow citizens are devalued and discriminated against due to their ascribed affiliation – racism is not merely an issue of society’s extreme ‘fringes’ but is deeply rooted and widespread. It is this reality that we need to jointly face and alter. Human dignity is inviolable.