Memorial event: Steinmeier calls for limits on irregular migration

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier does not want to make any concessions on asylum law, but has called for efforts to be made to curb irregular migration. At a memorial service for the victims of the suspected Islamist attack in Solingen, the head of state stressed that Germany is a country that “for good reason” takes in people seeking protection from political persecution and war, where the right to asylum is granted. In the last century, many Germans only survived the Nazi era because other countries kept their doors open. “We want to remain this country. And in the end, we can only remain so if the number of those who come without a claim to this special protection does not overwhelm us,” Steinmeier stressed in front of around 450 mourners.

Efforts across party lines required

“And we will only remain this country if those seeking protection abide by the law and order of our country. Only then will we be able to maintain acceptance among the population,” warned Steinmeier. It is now a matter of making every effort to implement the access rules that exist and “those that are currently being created.” “This is a huge task and it must be a priority in the coming years.” A nationwide effort is needed, that is what I expect and that is what the people of Germany expect – across party political boundaries and government levels.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who also attended the memorial service, wrote afterwards on the X platform: “The crime hits us in the heart, it makes us angry. We owe it to them and their families to learn from it.” The SPD politician assured: “We mourn the dead of #Solingen. We mourn with their families, with everyone in this city, with everyone in Germany.”

In his eulogy, Steinmeier said that the state had not been able to fully keep “its promise of protection and security” in Solingen. The crime and possible omissions that may have contributed to the fact that the crime was not prevented must be thoroughly investigated. The burden of making immigration a success must not be placed on the committed people – such as employees in cities and municipalities, volunteers, police officers and all those who have long been at their limits. “We must not overburden those who are well-intentioned.”

The attack hits the whole country at its core

The bloody act hits the entire country at its core, “a friendly, open, diverse country” at its core, Steinmeier stressed. “It hits us in our self-image as a nation in which people live and want to live together peacefully despite all differences – people who have lived here for generations as well as those who came later.” The head of state stressed: “That is exactly what the perpetrator of the attack in Solingen was aiming at with his hatred.”

Bundestag President Bärbel Bas, as well as North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst and Interior Minister Herbert Reul (both CDU) also took part in the commemoration in the theater and concert hall. Steinmeier’s wife Elke Büdenbender was also among the guests. The pain is almost unbearable, said the Federal President, who had spoken shortly before with relatives of the three dead and eight injured. “I can hardly imagine, we can hardly imagine, what you, dear relatives and friends, are going through, what you have to suffer, what hell you are going through.”

A 26-year-old man from Syria, who came to Germany as a refugee via Bulgaria and is in custody, is suspected of the crime. The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claims responsibility for the crime. “Fanatic Islamists want to destroy what we love: our open society, our way of life, our community, our freedom,” said Steinmeier. “We don’t want the terrorists’ plan to work, for their terrible seeds to bear fruit, but we feel fear and uncertainty. Both have their reasons.” However, one should not allow oneself to be paralyzed by fear.

After the memorial service, Steinmeier laid a wreath at the crime scene. He and his wife silently remembered the victims and bowed silently.