On the night of May 29, 1993, right-wing extremists threw incendiary devices into the house of the Genç family in Solingen. Five family members die. Shortly thereafter, Mevlüde Genç called for reconciliation. She has now passed away at the age of 79. Many politicians appreciate her.
Düsseldorf/Solingen (dpa/lnw) - She lost five family members in the right-wing extremist arson attack in Solingen almost 30 years ago and shortly thereafter called for reconciliation: Mevlüde Genç is dead. She died at the age of 79, like the State Chancellery on Sunday communicated. North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) praised Genç as "a great example of reconciliation". Like few others, she embodied the belief in the good in people.
"She knew how to transform the immeasurable pain that was inflicted on her into strength to stand up for other people. She returned the hatred, violence and resentment that she was met with as generosity and tolerance," emphasized Wüst. Her legacy and her memory would also live on through the Mevlüde Genç Medal of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, which was named after her.
Mevlüde Genç and her husband Durmuş Genç lost two daughters, two grandchildren and a niece in May 1993 after right-wing extremists threw incendiary devices into their house in Solingen. 17 family members were seriously injured.
Solingen's mayor praised Genç as a great woman with a big heart. Tim Kurzbach (SPD) told the German Press Agency on Sunday that he was deeply saddened when this sudden and unexpected news of his death reached him. "Just as we are all sad in Solingen because we always remember her as the woman who called on us to be friends in the darkest hour of our city after the Second World War," he emphasized.
"And when this great woman left us with her big heart, which has now stopped beating, there is a feeling of great emptiness and also great sadness in me and in us," emphasized the mayor. He recognized Genç as the epitome of a mother. "But she was also a great woman because she also transmitted this motherly manner, even where the worst happened to her family, to shake hands with everyone. And that deeply distinguished her," explained Kurzbach.
"North Rhine-Westphalia is losing a role model for peaceful and tolerant coexistence," said André Kuper, President of the State Parliament. "She met hate and violence with forgiveness and love," he said. The greatness with which she turned pain and grief into forgiveness remains - even after her death. He announced that the regional parliament would commemorate Genç with a minute's silence on Wednesday.
SPD parliamentary group leader Thomas Kutschaty recalled Genç's warning words. "Your sentence "Love lets people live, but hate brings death" will remain a reminder. We bow to Mevlüde Genç and wish her relatives a lot of strength in these difficult hours," explained Kuschaty, who is also SPD country chief.
NRW Integration Minister Josefine Paul (Greens) also thought of Genç: "All her life, Mevlüde Genç called for tolerance and peaceful coexistence between cultures. I thank her and our entire society for that."
For her tireless commitment to reconciliation shortly after the assassination, Genç received the Federal Cross of Merit. 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 solidarity.
