Zwickau is commemorating the victims of the far-right National Socialist Underground (NSU) 15 years after the terrorist group’s self-exposure. After an afternoon event on the theme of compassion at St. Mary’s Cathedral, people are expected to gather at the city’s memorial site in the evening with flowers, candles and paper cranes for a quiet remembrance.
In the city’s Schwanenteich Park, a tree is growing for each of the NSU’s ten murder victims: eight small-business owners of Turkish descent, one of Greek descent and a police officer. They were Enver Şimşek, Abdurrahim Özüdoğru, Süleyman Taşköprü, Habil Kılıç, Mehmet Turgut, İsmail Yaşar, Theodoros Boulgarides, Mehmet Kubaşık, Halit Yozgat and Michèle Kiesewetter.
The NSU’s core members, Uwe Böhnhardt, Uwe Mundlos and Beate Zschäpe, lived in Zwickau for years without being detected and had a network of supporters. In addition to the murders, the group carried out numerous robberies and several bomb attacks. Böhnhardt and Mundlos died by suicide in Eisenach on November 4, 2011, after a bank robbery. Zschäpe then set fire to their shared apartment in Zwickau. She was later sentenced to life in prison and remains incarcerated.
A city walking tour marking the anniversary will visit former homes of the core trio and people in their support network. The so-called Critical Walk will also focus at the memorial site on the victims’ lives and hopes.
Sources: Handelsblatt.