Ten Years After the OEZ Attack: The Leyla Family Calls for a Stance Against Racism

Sibel Leyla said the family hears daily „die Hetze von der AfD, von den Politikern, über Migranten, über Muslime, dass wir nicht zu diesem Stadtbild gehören, dass wir nicht hierhergehören." This experience shapes the everyday lives of the bereaved. Can was 14 years old at the time of his murder.

Racist Motive Rather Than Rampage

„Wenn ich denke, dass wir immer noch uns erklären müssen, dass wir zu dieser Stadt oder zu diesem Land gehören, das ist einfach schmerzhaft," Leyla is quoted as saying. The family sees itself as part of Munich and Germany, but has to repeatedly defend this belonging. Leyla called especially on young people not to remain silent, but to take to the streets.

The parents also describe an ongoing fear. „Wie sollen wir uns hier in diesem Land oder in dieser Stadt wohlfühlen und sicher fühlen?" Sibel Leyla asked. She always has the thought that something could happen to her family. The family, according to their own account, made a promise to their murdered son Can, about the content of which they speak in the report.

The Munich City Council's Specialist Unit for Democracy criticizes that the act was long „als unpolitischer Amoklauf verharmlost" (downplayed as an unpolitical rampage). Only with the passage of time has the racist character of the attack moved more strongly into public awareness. The perpetrator was 18 years old at the time of the attack.

Commemoration and Demands for the Anniversary

In the attack, the shooter killed eight young people and one adult woman in a fast-food restaurant and the surrounding area of the shopping center before taking his own life. The OEZ is one of the most visited shopping centers in the Bavarian state capital. Numerous young people were present there that evening.

Sibel Leyla formulated a clear demand as a consequence of what she experienced: „Wir müssen einfach eine Haltung zeigen gegen Rassismus." The family hopes that the memory of the victims will not only be kept alive in commemorative events, but will result in concrete action.

According to the city, various commemorative formats are planned for the anniversary. A minute of silence is scheduled for the exact time of the attack at 5:51 p.m., at which citizens and representatives of the city are to come together.

The Leyla family had already emphasized in earlier statements how important the classification as a racist motive is to them. The current appearance ten years after the attack falls within a nationwide debate about the handling of right-wing extremist violence and about the visibility of families shaped by migration in German society.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier is mentioned in the context of reporting on the anniversary. The connection between state commemoration and the voices of the bereaved is to become more visible, according to the family's wishes, than in previous years.

The city of Munich announced that, in addition to the minute of silence, further events are planned at which bereaved persons such as the Leyla family are to have their say. The goal is to give those affected space and at the same time to sensitize a broad public to the consequences of racist violence.