Memorial service - Anniversary of the terrorist attack at the Memorial Church
Seven years after the Islamist terrorist attack on the Christmas market near Berlin's Memorial Church, politicians and relatives have remembered the victims. The General Superintendent of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg, Ulrike Trautwein, said on Tuesday that even after seven years, December 19 is still a turning point for her - and it will remain so.
"I can still hear the cries of the injured, see the unreal images, feel the chaos, the panic," said Trautwein, who had stood in for Bishop Christian Stäblein, who was ill. "This year, I see it even more intensely through the horrific images of the terrorist attack, the Hamas massacre of people in Israel," said the General Superintendent. "The fear, the powerlessness, the pain. Sometimes it's all there again."
Trautwein also recalled the people who were there for victims, relatives and mourners, such as first responders and emergency pastoral workers. "Sharing powerlessness - for me it is the original form of consolation," she said.
The memorial service was attended by Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD), Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus (Greens) and Berlin's Police Commissioner Barbara Slowik, among others.
It has become a tradition to read out the names of the 13 victims who died at the memorial at the back of the church afterwards. Candles were also lit. 13 chimes could be heard from the old tower of the memorial church.
On December 19, 2016, an Islamist terrorist hijacked a truck and drove it into the Christmas market on Kurfürstendamm. A total of 13 people died as a result of the attack - one of them years later from the consequences. More than 70 people were injured, some seriously. The assassin fled to Italy, where he was shot dead by the police.
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- During the memorial service, Ulrike Trautwein, who temporarily stood in for the ill Bishop Christian Stäblein, expressed her continued struggle seven years after the terror attack.
- Trautwein acknowledged the stark similarities between the chaos and fear she felt during the Berlin Christmas market attack and the recent terrorist actions in other parts of the world, such as Hamas' massacre in Israel.
- The memorial service was attended by prominent figures like Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, Senator Franziska Giffey, Federal Minister Lisa Paus, and Police Commissioner Barbara Slowik, underscoring the nation's collective grief and support.
- Despite the passage of time, the anniversary of the attack continues to be marked by solemn ceremonies, including the lighting of candles and the reading out of the names of the 13 victims who perished at the memorial church.
- The attack, perpetrated by an Islamist who hijacked a truck and crashed into the bustling Christmas market, also demonstrated the devastating global reach of extremism and the threat it poses to religious celebrations and peaceful gatherings.
- As Germany honors the victims and survivors of the tragic event, the country remains steadfast in its commitment to confronting extremism and preserving the sanctity of religious events and memorials, reinforcing the message of unity and resilience.
Source: www.stern.de
