Türkiye seeks justice for immigrant family killed in arson attack in Germany

#####	 ######	 ####	 > # [Türkiye seeks justice for immigrant family killed in arson attack in Germany](https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/eu-affairs/1062) > > > > Turkish officials are seeking justice for a Bulgarian Turkish family of four who were killed in an arson attack in the western German city of Solingen amid increasing xenophobia and Islamophobia in Europe. > > Ankara is working with German authorities to find the perpetrators and shed light on what has been dubbed the “second Solingen incident,” diplomatic sources in Ankara have said, referring to a similar arson attack in Solingen that killed five Turks more than three decades ago. > > The investigations have to go in all directions, the motive behind this must be revealed in all its details and the perpetrators should be punished with the harshest penalties," Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Başar Şen told reporters, after meeting with the relatives of the victims, during a visit to Solingen on Thursday. > > Monday's fire at the four-story house in Solingen claimed the lives of a young couple and their two children, who were Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin. > > As many as 21 people were rescued from the building, with nine taken to the hospital with serious injuries, including two in critical condition. Turkish nationals were among those injured. > > Şen said prosecutors have confirmed that the cause of the fire was a deliberate arson, as investigators have found remains of an accelerant in the wooden stairwell of the house. > > The public prosecutor's office in Wuppertal on Wednesday said the incident is being investigated for murder or attempted murder. > > "It is not yet clear whether this arson was a simple crime, a crime arising from hostility, or whether it was a far-right attack motivated by racism, unfortunately, similar to the incident that took place in Solingen 31 years ago," Şen said. > > The ambassador said he was confident that the German authorities would carry out a thorough investigation and shed light on this crime, and promised that the Turkish authorities would closely follow the developments on this matter. > > He also expressed hope that the perpetrators will be swiftly identified and brought to justice. > > ### **Holding vigil** > > On Thursday evening, dozens of people gathered for a vigil in front of the burned house in Solingen to remember and pray for the victims. They placed flowers and candles on the sidewalk. > > Kamil Genç, who lost his family members in the 1993 Solingen arson attack, also attended the vigil and called on the authorities to carry out a full investigation and bring those responsible to justice. > > "When I saw this building on Monday, I felt the same pain as I had years ago when our house was burned down," he told Anadolu Agency (AA). > > "What happened that night, the screams I heard, the struggle of the firefighters, all these memories came before my eyes again," he said. > > [[A photo shows flowers and candles left in front of a house for the victims of a fire in a house, Solingen, western Germany, March 28, 2024. (AFP Photo)](https://idsb.tmgrup.com.tr/ly/uploads/images/2024/03/29/321662.jpg)](https://idsb.tmgrup.com.tr/ly/uploads/images/2024/03/29/321662.jpg) A photo shows flowers and candles left in front of a house for the victims of a fire in a house, Solingen, western Germany, March 28, 2024. (AFP Photo) > > ### **1993 arson attack** > > Three decades ago, a far-right arson attack took place in Solingen, killing five members of a Turkish immigrant family, in one of the most severe instances of racist violence in modern Germany. > > Their house was set ablaze by neo-Nazis amid growing resentment against immigrants and foreigners in the country, after the unification of East and West Germany. > > Three girls, Saime Genç, Hülya Genç and Gülüstan Öztürk, and two women, Hatice Genç and Gürsün Ince, were killed in the fire, while 14 others, including several children, were wounded. > > Police arrested four right-wing extremists after the arson attack, and the assailants were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. They were released after serving their prison sentences. > > Germany is home to the world’s biggest Turkish community overseas, with more than 3.5 million people. Turks are the largest community of migrants in the European country. The majority of them are descendants of "guest workers" who were invited to rebuild postwar Germany. > > The Turkish community in the country has been alarmed by a surge in anti-Turkish and anti-Muslim sentiments in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of neo-Nazi groups and the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), which exploited the refugee crisis and attempted to instill immigrants fear. > > Germany has been recording Islamophobic crimes separately since 2017. > > In 2018, there were 910 incidents, including 48 attacks on mosques alone, a little lower than 2017's 1,095 crimes. In 2019, some 871 attacks targeted the Muslim community in Germany. > > Notably, in 2020, far-right extremist Tobias Rathjen attacked two cafes in the city of Hanau, killing nine young people and injuring five others. 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