North Rhine-Westphalia’s Integration Minister, Verena Schäffer (The Green Party), has criticized the planned budget cuts to the federal program “Demokratie Leben”. In a statement to the “Rheinische Post”, Schäffer expressed concern over the timing, noting that the federal government is planning “drastic changes” to the program even as support for right-wing extremists is increasing. She warned that several important associations may not know if they can continue their work, calling the planned cuts a “major mistake”.
Schäffer will also deliver a speech at the commemoration event for the racist attack in Solingen this Friday. On the night of May 29, 1993, perpetrators set a fire in the hallway of the Genç family’s apartment building in Solingen, resulting in the deaths of five family members. Describing the honour and responsibility of her upcoming speech, Schäffer stressed that remembrance serves as a warning.
She pointed to historical acts of violence-naming Hoyerswerda, Rostock-Lichtenhagen, Mölln, and Solingen-to illustrate that these attacks were not isolated incidents occurring in a “society void of troubles”. By the early 1990s, open racism existed in parts of the population, and the perpetrators reportedly felt justified in perpetrating that violence. Schäffer framed this history as a serious warning to both politics and society.
She further emphasized the importance of how public conversations are conducted on issues like asylum and migration, cautioning that catering to right-wing populists ultimately leads to hatred. Previously, Ferda Ataman delivered the first Mevlüde-Genç speech in 2024, while historian Wolfgang Benz is scheduled to speak in 2025.
