Commemoration for Turkish Family Lost in Solingen Arson

A commemoration ceremony was held in front of the house for the Turkish-origin family of 4, including 2 children, who lost their lives due to the arson of the building where they lived in the city of Solingen, Germany. Residents of the Höhscheid district, where the unusable house is located, and representatives of civil society organizations attended the commemoration ceremony. While calls were made during the speeches at the commemoration ceremony to clarify the incident as soon as possible, racism was condemned. Flowers were left by the participants of the ceremony on the barricades set up in front of the house.

“Our burned house came to my mind” Kamil Genç, who lost 5 family members in his house burned by Neo-Nazis in Solingen in 1993, said, “My son heard the fire brigade’s sirens at 02:50. He said, ‘Oh no, something is happening somewhere again.’ When I went to the doctor in the morning, I saw everything closed. Of course, when I learned that this house was burned, our burned house came to my mind.”

Fikriye Atış, who attended the commemorative event, said, “Newcomers, they are very young and have children. It’s very sad.”

“As a resident of Solingen, I am ashamed” Abdülkadir Daloğlu, who has been living in Solingen for 35 years, said, “I saw it in 1993. In 1993, 5 Turkish citizens burned to death between 02.00 and 03.00 in the night. Again, today’s incident, where 4 Turkish-origin Bulgarian citizens died in a fire, is very painful. As a resident of Solingen, I am ashamed.”

Three-month-old Elis lost her life in the fire In a statement by the Wuppertal Prosecutor’s Office, it was stated that the fire was caused by arson and that it was ignited by pouring flammable substances. Last Sunday night, Ismail Zhilov (29), Kıymet (28), and their daughters Gizem (5) and Elis (3 months old) from the same family lost their lives in the fire. The fire brought back memories of the Solingen Arson Attack in 1993, where 5 Turkish citizens lost their lives.