German city marks fifth anniversary of synagogue attack

The eastern German city of Halle on Wednesday marked the fifth anniversary of an armed neo-Nazi attack on a synagogue which left two people dead and several injured.

Church bells began ringing out at 12:03 pm (1003 GMT), the exact time when the first shots were fired at the synagogue on October 9, 2019, when an armed neo-Nazi tried to break into the city's synagogue on the high Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

The attacker failed to break through the synagogue's locked door, despite multiple attempts. He fatally shot a passer-by, and then opened fire on a nearby kebab shop, killing a customer there.

The culprit is serving a life sentence in prison for two counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder.

The attack made horrifically clear the violence a person driven by anti-Semitic, racist and right-wing extremist ideas is capable of, said Reiner Haseloff, the state premier of Saxony-Anhalt where Halle is located, at a memorial event in the courtyard of the synagogue.

Haseloff said the shooter's actions revealed patterns and attitudes that have continued to spread in German society in an alarming way over the past five years.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged the nation to never tolerate anti-Semitism as he marked the fifth anniversary of the attack.

Jewish citizens in Germany "must never live in fear," Scholz wrote on the social media platform X.

"For all of us, the following must apply: we will never accept anti-Semitism."

At the memorial service, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the fight against terrorism is becoming more challenging by the day. He added that the threshold for hatred is lowering and networks of hate are increasingly difficult to detect.

"The bitter reality is that Jews must live in constant fear of being attacked, insulted, or spat on every single day,” Steinmeier said.

"It is time to stand up when someone speaks against minorities. It is time for solidarity when someone is attacked."

Conrad Rössler, who hid when the attacker stormed a snack bar and killed a person there, also reminded everyone of the responsibility to stand up against hatred and violence.

Five years on, he feels grateful for the solidarity but also angry. "I am angry to live in a country where politicians express outrage over racist attacks but do too little to prevent them," he said at a public event in the city of Halle.

"And I am angry at myself for being too cowardly to voice my opinion to the Nazi who rants in the tram."

Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, sharply criticized security authorities and politicians. For the survivors, not only has their life been irreversibly changed, but so has their sense of security.

They continue to grapple not only with the traumatic memory of that day but also with persistent fears and a profound distrust of the state and its security institutions.

"The attack in Halle failed and yet was not prevented," said Schuster. "This unfortunately needs to be emphasized repeatedly."

Many Jews, he said, are familiar with the feeling of not being protected. This fact must awaken politics and society. "It is their duty to gradually restore this trust."

In addition to several memorial events, including those at the synagogue and the market square in Halle, the victims of the attack were honoured throughout the city. Large posters were displayed at prominent locations.

The synagogue was gifted a new Torah scroll, with its final letter ceremonially written on site.