Rampage in Hanau
Hanau is a mid-size city in Hesse of about 100,000 people, roughly 20 miles east of Frankfurt. From Frankfurt, you can hop on an S-Bahn (fast train) and get there within half an hour. Drive another five minutes, and you can cross the border into Bavaria.
Like most German towns, Hanau has a history that ranges back to the Middle Ages. Hanau has a history of attracting refugees. This is where the Protestants fled to from the Netherlands and France as far back as the 1500's. Hanau later became a stage for the Thirty Years' war in the 17th century and again in the 19th century for the Napoleonic Wars. During World War II, the Jews were vehemently persecuted and expelled, well before the war ended. Not surprisingly, Hanau has long been a hotbed for immigrants.
To be honest, I never thought much of Hanau. Certainly, this is the Gebrüder Grimm Stadt, or the Brothers Grimm City. The most famous sons of the city, born in the late 18th century, have their monument downtown, a bronze statue that has stood there since the late 19th century, which is impressive in itself. There is the Baroque Palace Schloss Philippsruhe that still stands there in all its stoic beauty. There's a wild animal park I visited once, mostly because of its hiking trails. Other than that, I have to admit I have always avoided Hanau, although for no particular reason.
Unfortunately, Hanau became the stage of the world for one day after an untimely shooting rampage committed by a German fanatic whose name I won't mention here. When all was said and done, the killer shot nine people, mostly of foreign descent, before shooting his mother and ending his own life.
So you think shooting rampages can't happen in Germany? I beg to differ. They can happen anywhere in the world, regardless of race, religion, or political convictions. All it takes is humans.
On February 19, 2020, at 10 p.m., Hanau was just another German city getting ready for the night. It started with a few shots in the street, seemingly at random, before the gunman found his way to a couple of shisha bars. Any theory that the killings were random went out the window just then. The gunman moved on to a newsstand...four more dead, all Germans with an immigrant background.
And what happens after crimes like these? Inevitably, you'll find the politicians with their usual lip service, led by President Frank Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Merkel and the long line of local politicians seeking to pay their respects. The words may sound sincere, although I am beginning to doubt whether the message has sunk in.
To say the rampage in Hanau was an aberration would be misleading. The far right-wing party AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) is one of the fastest-growing political parties in Germany. According to which poll you would believe, at least 10% of all Germans would vote for AfD, if the federal elections were to be held tomorrow. Not enough to rule in any state, let alone the capital of Berlin, but the point is: the hate is there. And not likely to go anywhere soon.
There's nothing much to add here, really. I wish this wasn't a post on this blog, truly. However, I have always reported the events and tendencies as they have happened in Germany, and I have decided that Hanau deserves no exception. Owing to hate, Hanau will forever be etched in history for all of the wrong reasons. Let's hope the Germans draw the right consequences and use the event to save lives...from both firearms and political subversion. The whole world is watching.
Like most German towns, Hanau has a history that ranges back to the Middle Ages. Hanau has a history of attracting refugees. This is where the Protestants fled to from the Netherlands and France as far back as the 1500's. Hanau later became a stage for the Thirty Years' war in the 17th century and again in the 19th century for the Napoleonic Wars. During World War II, the Jews were vehemently persecuted and expelled, well before the war ended. Not surprisingly, Hanau has long been a hotbed for immigrants.
To be honest, I never thought much of Hanau. Certainly, this is the Gebrüder Grimm Stadt, or the Brothers Grimm City. The most famous sons of the city, born in the late 18th century, have their monument downtown, a bronze statue that has stood there since the late 19th century, which is impressive in itself. There is the Baroque Palace Schloss Philippsruhe that still stands there in all its stoic beauty. There's a wild animal park I visited once, mostly because of its hiking trails. Other than that, I have to admit I have always avoided Hanau, although for no particular reason.
Unfortunately, Hanau became the stage of the world for one day after an untimely shooting rampage committed by a German fanatic whose name I won't mention here. When all was said and done, the killer shot nine people, mostly of foreign descent, before shooting his mother and ending his own life.
So you think shooting rampages can't happen in Germany? I beg to differ. They can happen anywhere in the world, regardless of race, religion, or political convictions. All it takes is humans.
On February 19, 2020, at 10 p.m., Hanau was just another German city getting ready for the night. It started with a few shots in the street, seemingly at random, before the gunman found his way to a couple of shisha bars. Any theory that the killings were random went out the window just then. The gunman moved on to a newsstand...four more dead, all Germans with an immigrant background.
And what happens after crimes like these? Inevitably, you'll find the politicians with their usual lip service, led by President Frank Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Merkel and the long line of local politicians seeking to pay their respects. The words may sound sincere, although I am beginning to doubt whether the message has sunk in.
To say the rampage in Hanau was an aberration would be misleading. The far right-wing party AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) is one of the fastest-growing political parties in Germany. According to which poll you would believe, at least 10% of all Germans would vote for AfD, if the federal elections were to be held tomorrow. Not enough to rule in any state, let alone the capital of Berlin, but the point is: the hate is there. And not likely to go anywhere soon.
There's nothing much to add here, really. I wish this wasn't a post on this blog, truly. However, I have always reported the events and tendencies as they have happened in Germany, and I have decided that Hanau deserves no exception. Owing to hate, Hanau will forever be etched in history for all of the wrong reasons. Let's hope the Germans draw the right consequences and use the event to save lives...from both firearms and political subversion. The whole world is watching.
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