A funeral prayer for Mevlüde Genç will take place this Tuesday at the scene of the right-wing extremist arson attack in Solingen. The Ditib community invites you to do so, the city announced on Monday. For this, her coffin should be laid out before it is transferred to Turkey.
Genç lost five family members in the devastating arson attack by right-wing extremists in Solingen in 1993. Nevertheless, she had called for reconciliation after the murderous act. Genç died on Saturday night at the age of 79.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid tribute to Genç on Monday. In a letter to her husband, Steinmeier expressed his condolences to the family. “Our country has lost a great reconciler. She showed us that charity and humanity are stronger than hate and violence.”
Many dead and injured
On May 29, 1993, right-wing extremists set fire to the family home in Solingen. The Genç couple lost two daughters, two granddaughters and a niece. 17 family members were seriously injured. Shortly after the assassination, Mevlüde Genç called for reconciliation and repeatedly warned that hatred must be stopped.
Her coffin is to be laid out for the prayer for the dead on Tuesday in Untere Wernerstraße. In Turkey, she is to be buried next to the victims of the arson attack. The state parliament will commemorate Genç with a minute’s silence on Wednesday.
Mevlüde Genç received the Federal Cross of Merit for her commitment to reconciliation. The NRW state government donated a Mevlüde Genç medal in her honor in 2018. It is awarded annually around the anniversary of the arson attack in Solingen on May 29th to people who have made outstanding contributions to reconciliation, tolerance and cohesion.
