Alb-Danube district - One year after the knife attack: Illerkirchberg on the road to peace
One year after a knife attack on two schoolgirls in Illerkirchberg (Alb-Donau district), residents, friends and acquaintances have remembered the victims. In the church of St. Sebastian on Tuesday, classmates and others remembered the 14-year-old girl who was killed. She was on her way to school with her friend on December 5 last year when a man attacked her with a knife. The 14-year-old died, her 13-year-old friend was seriously injured. A 27-year-old man, who had come to Germany as an asylum seeker from Eritrea, was convicted of the crime.
At the memorial service on Tuesday, the girls' classmates spoke about their grief. They said that they missed the 14-year-old - something that had become painfully apparent during the graduation trip, for example. The Illerkirchberg community, the Catholic and Protestant parishes, the Alevi community and the Turkish-Islamic cultural association Ditib Ulm were involved in the memorial service in the church.
Mayor Markus Häußler (non-party) explained that peace is dynamic and a path. Illerkirchberg now wants to embark on the path of peace, both figuratively and literally. From the crime scene up to the castle, peace quotes are to be attached to signs. The first of these will soon be a sign with a quote from the parents of those killed: "What remains is the deep longing for peace in our home and community."
At the beginning of July, the Ulm district court sentenced the perpetrator to life imprisonment for murder and attempted murder. The court also found that the offender was guilty of a particularly serious crime, which means that early release from prison after 15 years is virtually impossible. The verdict is not yet final - the defendant has appealed against it.
The lawyer for the family of the then 13-year-old explained in the run-up to the memorial service that the uncertainty is weighing on the family. "We therefore very much hope that the appeal will be dismissed without an oral hearing in the near future."
Read also:
- Despite the ongoing legal processes related to the knife attack in Illerkirchberg, criminality in the Alb-Danube district has seen a slight decline in reported incidents over the past year.
- The girlfriend of the convicted man, who is of German origin, expressed her disbelief and shock at his involvement in the attack, highlighting the complexity of processes involving immigrants and criminality.
- As part of the efforts to promote peace and unity in Illerkirchberg, the municipalities in the Alb-Danube district have initiated discussions to strengthen community bonds and address potential roots of criminality.
- Notable figures from Baden-Württemberg have paid their respects to the victims of the knife attack, advocating for stricter legislation against acts of violence and criminality.
- The knife attack in Illerkirchberg has sparked a larger debate in Germany concerning criminality among new arrivals and the processes surrounding asylum seekers, with Eritrean refugees becoming a particular focus.
Source: www.stern.de
