German politician calls arson in Germany 'shameful'

By Gulcin Kazan Doger

ISTANBUL (AA) – A suspected arson attack last month in northwestern Germany, killing four Turkish-Bulgarian citizens, “should make us think about the reality of racism and of the danger of racist attacks in 2024,” according to a German parliamentarian, calling the attack “horrible” and “a shame.”

Helge Lindh, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), discussed the "escalating" racism in Germany, also telling Anadolu about the uncertainty surrounding the attacker's motives, stating: "The public prosecutor says there might be evidence for a non-political motive, but they are not sure."

"We are not allowed to exclude any motive, including a racist motive, because we have a history of excluding racist motivation," he added, highlighting racist attacks in the past by the National Socialist Underground (NSU) and other groups.

The NSU was a German neo-Nazi militant group active between 2001 and 2010. It was also responsible for the killing of 10 people, including eight Turks, from 2000 to 2007.

Pointing out that the building targeted by arson primarily housed immigrants and Muslims, Lindh stressed the prevalent fear of racism due to past events in the city, where five Turks lost their lives in 1993.

The attack “should make us think about reality of racism and of the danger of racist attacks in 2024. This is horrible and it's a shame," he added.

On the ongoing investigation, Lindh emphasized the importance of sensitivity, given the authorities' past tendency to blame "innocent" victims, as seen in the NSU case, urging support for immigrant and Muslim communities.

- 'Immigrants feel like the usual suspects'

Lindh criticized certain German media outlets for "downplaying" racism in attacks on immigrants, noting a biased portrayal of crimes, which often highlights the ethnicity of perpetrators while ignoring it when victims are migrants.

He underscored the impact of such media practices on immigrant communities, making them feel unsafe and isolated, with many feeling unsupported by the law and government.

"They're feeling under general suspicion, as the ‘usual suspects,’ but not being accepted, acknowledged, or seen as victims," Lindh added.

Lindh argued for a significant role by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in perpetuating racist attitudes, citing numerous attacks on mosques and institutions as evidence of growing racism and far-right sentiment in Germany.

- ‘Progress, but not enough’

Lindh emphasized the insufficiency of current anti-racism measures in Germany, stressing the need for a consistent approach.

"I see some progress, but we're far from the standard," he said, adding: "No measure (so far) is enough."

Highlighting ongoing challenges, Lindh stressed unanswered questions about recent attacks and failures to prevent further incidents.

Urging protection for immigrant communities, he stressed the importance of ensuring they feel recognized and safe amidst recent debates and attacks, concluding with a call to prevent the loss of German citizens of immigrant origin to racism.

- Arson incident

A March 25 fire at a four-story house in Solingen killed a man, his wife, and their two children, who were Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin.

As many as 21 people were rescued from the building, with nine taken to the hospital with serious injuries, including two in critical condition.

Turkish nationals were among those injured.

Authorities have pointed to arson as the likely cause of the fire.

*Writing by Muhammed Yasin Gungor