On Monday evening in Berlin, several thousand people remembered the victims of the racially motivated terrorist attack in Hanau (Hesse) four years ago. According to the police, the gathering on Sonnenallee in Neukölln grew from an initial 700 to around 3,200 people in the evening. A demonstration was called for under the motto “Four years of Hanau – the consequence is resistance”.
Around 250 police officers were deployed. In addition to the victims of the Hanau attack, the war in Gaza was also announced as a reason for demonstrations.
During the largely peaceful rally there were isolated cases of incitement, insults, physical attacks and the use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations, said a police spokesman. The slogan “From the river to the sea” was also occasionally shouted. It refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea – with which the Islamist Hamas effectively denies the state of Israel’s right to exist.
According to the police, the personal details of 15 people were recorded and 21 investigations were initiated. Two police officers reportedly suffered injuries but were able to continue their duties.
For other rallies, such as at Oranienplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg, the organizers had pointed out not to politicize the commemoration and not to bring appropriate flags – this corresponded to the wishes of the bereaved.
The victims of the attack were also remembered at the Berlinale on Monday. Filmmakers gathered on the red carpet in front of the Berlinale Palast to remember those killed.
On February 19, 2020, a 43-year-old right-wing extremist attacked several cafés and bars and shot people with a migration background. Nine men and women were murdered, then the perpetrator shot his mother and himself. Six other people were injured.
Broadcast: rbb24 Abendschau, February 19, 2024, 7:30 p.m