The terrible face of racism: the disaster in Solingen

One of the most brutal manifestations of racism, one of the most horrible and inhuman ideologies in history, emerged 29 years ago in Germany. A young family of Turkish origin living in Solingen, Germany, was attacked by neo-Nazis on May 29, 1993. Neo-Nazis mercilessly set fire to the house of a young family! As a result of this terrible event, 5 people died. The event, which was later called the “Solingen catastrophe”, remains fresh in the memory of both Turkish and German society, despite the fact that 29 years have passed.

On the other hand, the Solingen catastrophe, considered one of the symbols of racism in Europe, continues to deeply affect everyone, regardless of nationality, with a piece of humanity in their heart, despite the years that have passed. Here’s what you need to know about the Solingen disaster, one of the darkest spots in human history…

The Genç family, who immigrated to Germany from Turkey in the 1970s, settled in the city of Solingen, which is famous for its knife and scissor manufacturing.

The Gench family, who immigrated to Solingen, Germany from a village on the Black Sea in the 1970s, settled in a detached two-story 19th-century building in the city after the number of family members increased. The immigrant family got along well with the residents of the area and were well-liked by all.

The peaceful life of his young family in Solingen was completely changed by the heinous attack on May 29, 1993.

Later it turned out that they lived next door to the Gench family and on the night of May 29, while their family members were sleeping, they planned a treacherous attack and set fire to the two-story house of the Gench family. a family.

5 members of the Genca family were killed in a neo-Nazi attack.

Gursün Ince, Hatice Genç, Gülüştan Ozturk, Hulya Genç and Saime Genç were burned alive during the disaster in Solingen. On the other hand, 14 family members who were at home at the time of the incident managed to escape the attack. However, some will have to undergo dozens of surgeries before they can return to normal life…

The four neo-Nazis who carried out the attack were caught shortly after the incident.

The assassins Markus Hartmann, Felix Könen, Christian Reer and Christian Buchholz were arrested and sent to prison. The perpetrators were released after the expiration of their sentence. It is known that the attackers continue to live in Solingen today …

The Solingen disaster was a major trauma for the Turkish minorities in Europe, especially in Germany.

Many Turks living in Germany have started erasing Turkish names on their doorbells and putting water tanks on their balconies in case their houses are set on fire! However, this terrible event was not only a trauma for Turkish society.

There were also many German citizens who were deeply saddened by this incident. On the other hand, the Solingen catastrophe has rekindled the old controversy in Germany and even in Europe. Many concepts, such as racism, immigration, integration and human rights, have been discussed again since the tragedy in Solingen…

The disaster in Solingen has become one of the symbolic events of racism in Europe in recent years.

However, this horrific event was neither the first nor the last to occur because of racism. After the disaster in Solingen, many terrorist attacks were carried out in various cities in Germany, directed against various ethnic minorities, but especially against the Turks. Many Turkish citizens were injured or killed in these attacks. The homes and workplaces of Turkish citizens were hit hard. There were also various attacks on mosques in the areas of concentration of Turkish citizens.

The racist attacks that emerged in Germany from the 1990s to the 2010s were one of the high points on the agenda of the country’s public opinion.

Some argued that there was no organized and destructive racism in Germany, and the attacks were considered as isolated cases. However, it was argued that the German authorities did not sufficiently respond to the attacks, and therefore, voluntarily or unwittingly, supported racism and racist attacks in the country.

However, in 2011, the far-right terrorist organization National Socialist Underground (NSU), whose existence was accidentally discovered in 2011, made those who deny the existence of organized racism in Germany deeply mistaken … the investigation revealed that the organization under under the name NSU is responsible for many terrorist acts. Members of this far-right bloodthirsty terrorist organization have killed dozens of people over the years.

Mevlude Genc, ​​who lost two daughters, two grandchildren and a niece during the tragedy in Solingen, has become one of the symbols of the fight against racism.

Because Mevlude Gench sent messages of peace, love and brotherhood instead of resentment, hatred and enmity, despite the losses she suffered. Young, after the disasterI do not hold anyone accountable, I forgive, we are all from here, we are all brothers.With his statement, he became one of the symbols of the anti-racist struggle in Germany.

Despite the past 29 years, the Solingen disaster continues to deeply affect everyone who feels a piece of humanity in their hearts.

Every year at the place where the terrible attack took place, the memory of those who died as a result of the tragedy is honored.Despite the past 29 years, the pain of those who died in the disaster in Solingen remains as fresh as on the first day …

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