Anti-discrimination officer
“Germany has failed so far”: Ataman criticizes the treatment of the survivors of the Hanau attack
The federal anti-discrimination commissioner, Ferda Ataman, sharply criticizes the treatment of Hanau’s survivors
© Kira Hofmann / Imago Images
Monday marks the fourth anniversary of the attack in Hanau. Ferda Ataman, federal anti-discrimination commissioner, sharply criticizes the government’s handling of the relatives of the nine victims so far.
In Hanau on February 19, 2020, a 43-year-old German shot nine people for racist motives. He then killed his mother and himself.
Left alone and harassed
According to Ataman, many of those affected and relatives of the attack feel left alone by the state and authorities. There is still no official apology from the Hessian Interior Minister for documented police errors. There is no memorial for the victims in the central market square. Relatives are still being harassed by the perpetrator’s father.
She is particularly disappointed that the Democracy Promotion Act – “a central instrument for preventing extremism” – is being delayed. “It’s a disgrace that the FDP is blocking it and calling it a supposedly left-wing ideological project.”
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The Democracy Promotion Act is intended to provide clubs and organizations that work to strengthen democracy and prevent extremism with a better financial basis.
Ataman also pointed out the connection between anti-migrant debates and racism. “You can have critical migration debates without making Muslims and migrants scapegoats for the problems in the country. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what happens again and again.”