- Remembrance of the arson attack at the Holocaust memorial "Gle 17"
One year after the arson attack on the BookBox at the Holocaust memorial "Platform 17" in Berlin-Grunewald, a commemorative event is planned for this Monday (12th August). Numerous guests, including the Federal Government's Anti-Semitism Commissioner, Felix Klein, are expected to attend.
"[The arson attack] still shocks and bewilders the neighborhood and far beyond," said Konrad Kutt, one of the initiators of the BookBox, beforehand. "This senseless act is part of an increasing trivialization of history and an attempt to impose personal views through violence."
Confession in Court
In the early hours of August 12, 2023, the BookBox, housed in an old telephone booth and filled with publications about the time of National Socialism and an audio station, was set on fire and destroyed. A 63-year-old man was identified as the perpetrator, who left an anti-Semitic confession letter.
The early retiree confessed to the attack and other crimes later in court. These included attempted arson at the memorial for homosexuals persecuted under National Socialism in the Tiergarten and at a lesbian women's association in Neukölln. In both cases, the flames caused by lamp oil went out.
Last February, the Berlin Regional Court rejected a conviction of the man, as he was deemed not guilty. He was released after several months in a secure psychiatric facility. The prosecution had requested his commitment to a psychiatric hospital, but the court did not comply.
Burnt BookBox in the Museum
One day after the court's decision, on February 23, a new "BookBox" was installed near the memorial "Platform 17" at Grunewald Station. The burnt predecessor was permanently added to the collection of the Haus der Geschichte foundation in Bonn.
From September 18, the box will be displayed in the exhibition "After Hitler. The German Confrontation with National Socialism" as a witness to anti-Semitic violence.
The memorial "Platform 17" at Grunewald Station commemorates the approximately 10,000 Jewish women and men who were deported from there during the NS dictatorship with trains from Berlin to extermination camps. Another 30,000 were forcibly transported from the Moabit freight station, and about 10,000 from the Anhalter Station.
The arson attack on the BookBox, a poignant reminder of the time of National Socialism, was an example of the dangerous trend of extremism, as the perpetrator left an anti-Semitic confession letter. Despite being found not guilty in court, the man later confessed to similar acts of extremism, including attempts at arson at a LGBTQ+ memorial and an association.
