Anniversary of the knife assault: “The act has made me more sensitive to the vulnerability of our coexistence,” says Aschaffenburg’s mayor | EUROtoday

According to its mayor Jürgen Herzing (SPD), the bloody act in Aschaffenburg with two deaths has modified town. “Many people have become more aware that security cannot be taken for granted,” he advised the German Press Agency (dpa) earlier than the anniversary of the deadly knife assault. “At the same time, we experienced how great the sympathy, the willingness to help and the need for cohesion are. The joint remembrance, the many feedback from the citizens and the clear stance of many actors against hatred and division have shown that the majority of our urban society is very stable.”

Last 12 months there was additionally criticism of Herzing’s statements, who stated on the crime scene: “I feel as if my own child had died – or my brother had died or been injured.” And that he believes that is the case for a lot of others too.

“I still stand by my statements immediately after the crime. The emotions that I described back then were real, and I think they were present in many people,” Herzing advised dpa.

“But it was and is important to me to say: Precisely because these feelings are so strong, we must not let them lead to a spiral of violence and hatred. I understand that there has been criticism of individual formulations, but I think the basic statement is correct: A city like Aschaffenburg must not be guided by hatred, but rather must strengthen cohesion, humanity and the rule of law out of pain and grief.”

The assault on a kindergarten group in a park, by which a small boy and a person have been killed, nonetheless impacts him. “Even though everyday life has now returned to more normality, the images, the conversations with the relatives and those affected and the first days after the attack are coming back to light right now around the anniversary,” stated Herzing. “The act made me more sensitive to the vulnerability of our coexistence, but also to how strong solidarity and democratic cohesion can be in Aschaffenburg.”

In the knife assault on January 22, 2025, a person from Afghanistan killed a two-year-old boy of Moroccan origin and a 41-year-old German. Other individuals have been injured. According to the courtroom ruling in October, the Afghan is paranoid schizophrenic and is subsequently thought-about incompetent. He was positioned in a psychiatric hospital. There can be a memorial service this Thursday to mark the anniversary of the crime.