UPDATE - Germany failed to protect citizens from racist violence, minister says

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM INTERIOR MINISTER

BERLIN (AA) – Germany’s Justice Minister Marco Buschmann on Friday acknowledged the country’s failures in addressing problems of racism and discrimination.

“We have not been able to protect our fellow citizens from the murderous hate and madness that has grown in our society,” he said in a statement, marking the second anniversary of the racist terror attack in Hanau.

“It is our duty to learn from this failure. When violence begins to take shape in words and attitudes the state must intervene to stop this. As long as people in our country suffer and die because some call them "foreigners," we don’t live up to the responsibility that comes from our history,” he added.

On Feb. 19, 2020, far-right extremist Tobias Rathjen attacked two cafes in the city of Hanau, killing nine young people and injuring five others. All the victims had migrant backgrounds.

Before the attack, the far-right extremist posted videos on the internet detailing his xenophobic views, and then killed both his mother and himself.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said two years after the terror attack, many questions remain unanswered.

“The state owes the families of the victims a transparent and full investigation,” she said in a statement, and promised to do everything to uncover all the details.

The Social Democrat politician, who assumed the post last December, said the state should learn from its failures and draw the necessary conclusions.

“We will never forget Gokhan Gultekin, Sedat Gurbuz, Said Nesar Hashemi, Mercedes Kierpacz, Hamza Kurtovic, Vili Viorel Paun, Fatih Saracoglu, Ferhat Unvar, and Kaloyan Velkov,” she said.

Faeser also promised that her ministry will prepare a comprehensive action plan to combat racism and right-wing extremism.

Germany has witnessed growing racism in recent years fueled by far-right parties, which have exploited fears about a refugee crisis.

Authorities are facing criticism, especially from the human rights organizations, for underestimating the far-right threat and not seriously investigating crimes committed by right-wing extremists.