Turkey commemorates victims of xenophobic 1993 Solingen arson attack

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has commemorated the victims of the tragic Solingen arson attack, one of the most violent neo-Nazi attacks targeting Turks in Germany which killed three girls and two women in 1993. 

“Hereby, we would like to emphasize one more time our concerns over rising racism, xenophobia and hatred against Islam in Europe recently,” the ministry said in a statement on May 29, expressing concern over the rise of inimical moves which could lead to a repetition of such violent incidents.

“We hope that these kinds of tragedies will not happen again,” the statement added, while wishing for “God’s mercy” for those killed during the attack.         

The ministry also called on public figures, especially politicians, to adopt a unifying language rather than a divisive one that might lead to public unrest. 

Four young men, aged between 16 and 23, with ties to the neo-Nazi movement had set to fire the Solingen home of a large Turkish family in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia in 1993. 

Five people from the Genç family, including three girls and two women, died in the attack while 14 other family members sustained injuries, some of them severe. 

While the assailants were sentenced to 10 to 15 years of imprisonment, the incident sparked outrage among Turks in Germany and led to widespread violent protests across a number of German provinces. Large masses of Germans also flocked to the streets in solidarity with Turks.