Radicalism - Scholz remembers incidents of violence - plea against hate.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz from the SPD urges citizens to speak out against hate and aggression as we approach the anniversaries of the murder of Kassel's local president Walter Lübcke and the NSU nail bomb attack in Cologne-Mülheim. In his video message "Chancellor compact," Scholz stated that anyone who targets, threatens, or demeans others should be challenged, whether online or in person. "Resisting hatred is essential. Even though confronting these situations can be difficult, it's the only way to combat the poisonous sentiments that confuse people," he added.
Scholz labeled the events in Kassel and Cologne as "two horrific incidents." Reminiscing about these tragedies, he highlighted the significance of remembering them, particularly now. The Chancellor emphasized the rise in insults, attacks, and defamation, with over 60,000 politically motivated crimes reported by security authorities in 2023. "We've reached a regrettable milestone," he stated. Perpetrators must always be held responsible and promptly punished, he reiterated.
Five years ago, extremist Stephan E. fatally shot Kassel's local president Walter Lübcke. Today, a commemoration ceremony was set to take place at Kassel's Martinskirche to remember the CDU politician. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was set to attend as the guest of honor.
In Cologne's Mülheim district, the two NSU perpetrators Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt detonated a bomb filled with nails on June 9, 2004, injuring 22 people, some seriously. The authorities initially assumed the culprits were connected to the Turkish community. It wasn’t until they discovered Mundlos and Böhnhardt's bodies in 2011 that they realized the neo-Nazi terrorist group "National Socialist Underground" was behind the crime.
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- Olaf Scholz, the Federal Chancellor of Germany from the SPD, urges citizens to confront hate and aggression, citing the anniversaries of the murder in Kassel and the NSU nail bomb attack in Cologne-Mülheim as a reminder.
- Scholz emphasized in his video message "Chancellor compact" that anyone who targets, threatens, or demeans others should be challenged, whether online or in person.
- Labeling the events in Kassel and Cologne as "two horrific incidents," Scholz highlighted the importance of remembering them, particularly as 2023 saw over 60,000 politically motivated crimes reported by security authorities.
- The commemoration ceremony for Walter Lübcke, the CDU politician who was murdered by an extremist in Kassel five years ago, was set to take place at Kassel's Martinskirche.
- President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was expected to attend the commemoration ceremony as the guest of honor, emphasizing the significance of addressing hate and intolerance in society.
- In 2004, the NSU perpetrators Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt detonated a bomb filled with nails in Cologne's Mülheim district, injuring 22 people, some severely.
- Initially, the authorities assumed that the culprits behind the NSU nail bomb attack were connected to the Turkish community, but they discovered the neo-Nazi terrorist group's involvement in 2011 after finding Mundlos and Böhnhardt's bodies.
- The rise in hate crimes, including insults, attacks, and defamation, prompted Scholz to call for the need to hold perpetrators responsible and ensure prompt punishment for criminal offenses.
- Scholz's plea against hate and aggression is a call to action, urging citizens to stand against extremism and promote tolerance in German society.
- The Federal Government, led by Scholz, continues to monitor criminal offenses related to hate speech and act of violence towards minority communities, such as in cases of North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin.
- The incidents in Kassel and Cologne demonstrate the urgent need for society to address the root causes of hate and work towards actively promoting tolerance and unity.
- Scholz's message to combat hate and aggression resonates with the history of Germany, a nation that has been committed to learning from the past and building a future based on equality and justice.
