In Germany, there are three cases of violent extremism that stand out in recent memory: the series of murders committed by the neo-Nazi National Socialist Underground (NSU) from 2000 to 2007, the 2016 Islamist attack on the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market in Berlin, and the racist spree killing in the city of Hanau in February 2020. On Friday, the victims of these attacks will be remembered when Germany marks its very first National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Terrorist Violence on March 11, 2022. The date has special significance — it is also the European Day of Remembrance, which was created after a series of bombings on trains in Madrid, Spain killed 191 people and injured more than 2,000 on March 11, 2004. The Madrid train bombings on March 11, 2004 were among the deadly terror attacks in Europe Ahead of a planned memorial for German victims of terrorist violence in Berlin, Interior Minister Nancy Faesar said: “These attacks have dramatically changed the lives of so many people. Many, with a great amount of strength, are still fighting their way back to their normal lives. We must not abandon them.” As Faesar’s portfolio includes domestic security, she vowed that the national security services and domestic intelligence were doing all they could to help survivors and prevent further attacks. Faeser is a Social Democrat and took office only three months ago. She acknowledged that her office is just as responsible for failures as it is for successes in averting danger. Politicians can misjudge situations, the relevant authorities can make mistakes in dealing with the survivors of attacks, or the relatives of victims. It is with this in mind, the interior minister said, that she wants the Germany’s new coalition government, which also includes the Green Party and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), to focus more on helping these groups and raising awareness of their situation. “The way we deal with those affected should be more empathetic and respectful,” Faeser said. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser was deeply shaken by the racist attack in Hanau in her home state of Hesse
Scaled-down memorial
The memorial at Berlin’s Kronprinzenpalais, a former Prussian palace, will be small in scale due to the ongoing surge of the omicron variant of COVID-19 across Germany. Beside Faeser, the president of the Federal Constitutional Court, Stephan Harbarth, and terrorism expert Petra Terhoeven from the University of Göttingen are scheduled to speak. Organizers stressed that future, hopefully bigger, events will feature more words from terror survivors and their loved ones. Pascal Kober, the federal government’s commissioner for victims of terrorism, told TheTeCHyWorLD that the point of the memorial was not only to remind victims and their families that they are not alone, but that “we too have been touched” by what happened to them. Terrorist and extremist violence, Kober said, were also attacks on Germany’s free and democratic society. Andreas Schwartz can appreciate that March 11 is a good date for the memorial. “But the main day of remembrance, as far as I am concerned, remains December 19,” he told TheTeCHyWorLD. It was this day in 2016, that Islamist extremist Anis Amri killed twelve people at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz square when he drove a truck into a Christmas Market. A thirteenth victim later died from long-term effects of the attack, and more than 100 were injured. Schwartz, 52, was amongst the latter, and continues to suffer from heart problems brought on by post-traumatic stress. Andreas Schwartz is a survivor of Germany’s Berlin Christmas Market terror attack “I am not ok,” said Schwartz, speaking to TheTeCHyWorLD from his Berlin apartment. “That whole thing” — he has to pause for a moment before he mentions Breitscheidplatz — “broke me.” The images of that day, he said, are burned deep into his soul. He used to be a truck driver himself, but has found he could not continue in that line of work.
‘Victimized a second time’
Schwartz says the years since the attack have been an ordeal: “The way we have been dealt with has gone completely wrong.” He and other victims have had to jump through so many hoops, seek out so many ‘expert opinions’ just “to get our rights, it’s a catastrophe.” When the new Victim Compensation Act(OEG) was being drafted, he said, they demanded that one doctor’s opinion be enough. “And all authorities should have to adhere to that,” he said. In the end, lawmakers didn’t listen. Schwartz said bitterly: “We are actually being victimized a second time — by the authorities.” He has spoken with many politicians, attended parliamentary investigation committees. They always said that things would get better. “The question is just when?” Sometimes, it seems to him “that they just want to stall.”
Only 5 hours of therapy
As an example of how frustrating it has been to try and get the help he needs, Schwartz cites this bureaucratic nightmare: his trauma therapist told the State Office for Health and Social Affairs that he needed at least thirty hours of therapy. Only five hours were approved. “How is a person who been traumatized supposed to regain their normal footing,” with only five hours of therapy, Schwartz wanted to know. Commissioner Kober, a member of the FDP who has also worked as a pastor and military chaplain, admitted there was room for improvement — for example, making sure that victims are cared for by the same personnel throughout their recovery. He said that they had already made some strides since the new government came into power, but that there was more work to be done.
A wish for Remembrance Day: ‘Unbureaucratic, quick help’
Andreas Schwartz survived the Breitscheidplatz attack severely traumatized. He considers it a success that he has now been granted 60 percent disability benefits, but it doesn’t reflect well on German institutions that he had to hire a lawyer to get that far. His wish for the future was “unbureaucratic, quick help” for other victims of terrorist violence. He is very concerned that there could be another attack in Germany at any time. After the attack in Berlin, it emerged that assailant Anis Amri had long been known the authorities and for a time had been under surveillance as a suspicious person. They believed he was capable of carrying out an attack, yet he was not stopped before it was too late. This is another reason Schwartz has cautioned lawmakers and police to think carefully about how they deal with terrorist threats. Although there is a lot of focus on Islamism, Schwartz said: “We must not allow any terror, no matter from which corner it comes — whether left-wing, right-wing or Islamist violence.” This article was originally written in German. While you’re here: Every Tuesday, TheTeCHyWorLD editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.