20260313 Der Staat soll Verantwortung übernehmen

The state must also take responsibility

On the “National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorist Violence” on March 11, the Initiative for Burak Bektaş published a statement from which we quote below, because even today, years after his murder, as in other cases of racist violence, state authorities continue to deny any responsibility. In fact, state authorities are refusing to hold official commemorative events and are advocating “silent remembrance at the scenes of the crimes” in order to stay out of the spotlight. ...

On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, the “National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorist Violence” was observed for the fifth time. February 19, 2020, marks the sixth anniversary of the racist attack in Hanau. The city of Hanau did not plan a central official memorial event this year, instead holding a public silent commemoration at the scenes of the crime. Why? Because in 2025, relatives criticized the city for its clear failures in response to the attack and its investigation. A committee of inquiry in the Hessian state parliament had shown “that there had been failures and mishaps surrounding the attack.” One of the families has already taken the case to the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. ...

What this reflects is that criticism is unwelcome. Those affected should be “grateful.” Grateful for what? Individuals are addressed, but everyone is meant. Those affected are asked to “overcome their hatred.” This is perpetrator-victim reversal: it is not the racists, the Nazis, who feel encouraged by mainstream society, who are hated, but the grieving, desperate relatives who dare to express their pain angrily and courageously. This is an attitude that ignores and reproduces racism in the state and society. ...

In fact, in her speech in 2025, a relative of one of the victims stated that “the city of Hanau bears responsibility for February 19, 2020” and is “guilty.” The perpetrator had written letters before committing his crime, but they had been ignored. In addition, nothing had been done about the locked emergency exit door at the scene of the crime. “The mistakes, omissions, and negligence of the city of Hanau cost nine young people their lives,” and it was demanded that responsibility be taken for this. ...

Another reflection is the commemoration of the racist arson attack in Mölln in 1992. At the commemoration in Mölln in November 2025, a relative was attacked for the film “Die Möllner Briefe” (The Mölln Letters), which won an award at the Berlinale, for being ‘ungrateful’ and “making the city look bad.” ... When the grief of those affected turns into resistance, it becomes unbearable for officials and state actors. Then it is said, “no official commemoration, but silent commemoration,” “decentralized” commemoration. ...

It is about institutional accountability for, for example, shredded files, the concealment of links between Nazis and police structures, as in the case of the NSU murders or the murders in Hanau, or the delaying of investigations, as in the case of the murder of Burak Bektaş in Berlin. ...

Institutional accountability includes recognizing victims of right-wing/racist anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim violence. This requires education. A second NSU trial is underway in Dresden “for the sake of order,” without allowing joint plaintiffs. It's about justice. Few of the victims and those affected are still recognized. Your invitation policy for the “National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Terrorist Violence” reflects all of this. Some relatives of victims and those affected are invited, while others are not recognized and not invited. First and foremost, it is about empathy with the relatives of victims and those affected and their perspectives. That is the respect we are talking about. Recognition, solidarity, and consequences!

Initiative for the investigation of the murder of Burak Bektaş