Knife attack in Mannheim: There can only be one reaction to this death

Opinion

A young person is dead. Died while trying to help other people. In front of our eyes. We could all see on videos on social networks with what cold-bloodedness the murderer, a suspected Islamist from Afghanistan, shot the police officer Rouven L. in the market square in Mannheim in the head. From behind, taking advantage of the young man’s defenselessness. Rouven L. was only 29 years old. An age when you still have your whole life ahead of you.

There can only be one appropriate reaction in this situation: sadness, horror, compassion for the family. And the question of what we as a society can do to better protect those who protect us.

Instead, many other reactions can be heard. From commentators on the Internet who accuse the police officer of improper conduct. Without ever having risked their lives for anything and without having even the faintest idea about such operations.

There are the left-wing extremists who despise the victim as a representative of a hated “pig system”, devoid of any knowledge of state theory, only indulging in their own delusion.

And there are those who have the reflex to relativize the shock of the news. For example, by pointing out that even with the police There are grievances. Or the mortality risk is higher in other professions – as a colleague from Stern wrote in an opinion piece.

All of this is wrong because it misses the core of what is happening and because, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it reveals a great lack of respect for people.

Police officers secure the open society

Rouven L. could have chosen a hundred other jobs. He chose to be a police officer. It is a job that is not only physically and mentally demanding, with shift work and a great deal of emotional stress. It is also a job where you know that it can be dangerous for your own life. Police officers are living in more dangerous conditions than ever before in a long time, and are at the center of many conflicts. And society still does not adequately reward that. This is also made clear by some of the reactions to the Mannheim case.

Rouven L. will have known about the dangers and the complicated relationship many people have with the police. He chose his profession anyway. Probably because, like many police officers, he wanted to help ensure that we can all continue to live in a free, democratic society. In which we can call the police if we are attacked or if our home is broken into. In which we don’t have to bribe anyone to get state protection. In which we can freely express our opinions, no matter how absurd they may be.

He paid for this ideal with the highest price he could pay. We should show how grateful we are to people like him for taking this risk. For us.