German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday visited Magdeburg, the eastern German city where six other people were killed and many injured when a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market on Dec. 20.
“I know your pain is tearing you apart,” he said, addressing the victims’ relatives in the city’s central Alter Markt square. “But I need to tell you: you don’t feel pain. “We are with you, we stand in solidarity and we cry with you. ”
President Steinmeier thanked the first responders, police officers, firefighters, doctors and volunteers who intervened on the day of the attack. He then laid a wreath at St. John’s Church and signed the city’s e-book of condolences.
“As citizens, you are right to expect a thorough investigation and that mistakes be publicly addressed,” he promised. “A person who commits such a crime must be brought to justice.”
According to the local police, around 1,200 people gathered at the Alter Markt not only to listen to Steinmeier, but also to participate in the classic “Make a song of peace songs” in an annual event vital for the city of Magdeburg: the anniversary of the bombing. of the town. via British aircraft on January 16, 1945, World War II.
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This year, Magdeburg city council declared the anniversary to be a particularly special day of hope and solidarity.
“Let us allow ourselves to be overcome and paralyzed by fear, anger or uncertainty,” Steinmeier said.
“Hatred and violence will not have to have the last word, and I thank everyone who says they need Magdeburg to remain a welcoming city, a city that deserves to be enjoyed and experienced by everyone who has discovered a home here. “
In Germany, the federal president is the official head of state and the chancellor is the head of government. The presidency is necessarily a ceremonial role.
MF/RC (DPA, AFP)