Anniversary of Munich Attack: Steinmeier Calls for 'Clearer Stance' Against Racism

On the tenth anniversary of the attack at Munich's Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (OEZ), German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has demanded a more decisive approach in combating racism. Steinmeier stressed that such crimes should be explicitly identified as right-wing terrorism.

"Germany is a country with a migration background," Steinmeier stated during a memorial event in Munich. He emphasized that silence should not surround the causes and consequences of such crimes. The President noted that it took too long for the right-wing terrorist attack at the OEZ to be unequivocally recognized as such, particularly for the victims' families and loved ones.

The 2016 attack saw an 18-year-old perpetrator fatally shoot nine people, eight young individuals and one adult, before taking his own life. Several victims had roots in Turkish, Greek, or Albanian communities, while others belonged to the Sinti and Roma groups. Initially classified by authorities as a shooting spree driven by personal revenge, the attack was officially recognized as racially motivated by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office only in 2019.

Relatives of the victims are now calling for a parliamentary inquiry to fully investigate the underlying circumstances of the attack. The commemoration event included speeches from politicians and family members of those who lost their lives.