'Turkey will never forget Hanau victims, forego justice'

ANKARA

Turkey will never forget the racist and Islamophobic attacks against its citizens in Europe and will continue to pursue justice for the victims, a prominent Turkish lawmaker said on Friday, as the country marks one year since the deadly attack in Hanau, Germany last year.

Nine people, among them four of Turkish origin, were killed by a German far-right extremist who attacked two cafes in the western town of Hanau on Feb. 19, 2020.

“We have never forgotten the arson in 1984 in Duisburg, in 1988 in Schwandorf, in 1993 in Solingen, nor the murders of the National Socialist Underground, including eight of our citizens,” Zafer Sirakaya, head of the Turkish parliament’s Sub-Commission for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, told Anadolu Agency.

“So, we will never forget the innocent victims of the attack in Hanau.”

Sirakaya, a lawmaker of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party from Istanbul, stressed the importance of accountability of the perpetrators.

“We see the Islamophobic attacks on our citizens and mosques with grave concern. We are in constant dialogue with the relevant authorities to ensure the investigation of such attacks,” he said.

“In the fight against racism and Islamophobia, it is essential that these attacks must be precisely recognized, clearly named, and treated as inhuman crimes… Xenophobia stands in absolute contradiction to human kindness, the moral principle of every religion, including ours.”

He emphasized that many people in Germany have taken a stand against far-right extremism and terrorism that has plagued the country of over 80 million, which has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France.

Among the nearly 4.7 million Muslims in Germany, some 3 million are of Turkish origin.

However, Sirakaya pointed out that right-wing extremism is still on the rise in Europe, posing challenges in the fight against racism and Islamophobia.

“Thousands of people demonstrated side by side against extremist right-wing terror and Islamophobia. However, these racist and Islamophobic attacks are still continuing in Europe and Germany, which is of great concern to us,” the lawmaker said.

Since 1989, at least 184 people have been killed in Germany by neo-Nazi groups, with more than 50 of the victims being members of the Turkish community.

“The only way to succeed in the fight against racism and Islamophobia is cooperation, common consensus, and shared responsibility,” he asserted.

Sirakaya called on all stakeholders to focus on ensuring people’s welfare irrespective of their varying backgrounds and beliefs.

“Especially in times of disasters and pandemics, we should be aware that the focus should be on people, not on nationalities, societies, or social affiliations,” he said.

“Our greatest wish is to see peaceful cohabitation, regardless of religion, language or ethnicity, in the future – because racism and Islamophobia do not only poison individuals, but entire societies.”

Ensuring that Turkish people can live abroad peacefully, the lawmaker said, “is one of the greatest concerns of our government and all parties in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.”