Thirty years after a racist mob attacked migrants and asylum-seekers in the northeastern German city, people have gathered to show their opposition to racism.
Saturday's protest came days after a visit from German President Frank Walter-Steinmeier to the cityImage: Bernd Wüstneck/dpa/picture alliance
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About 3,600 people attended a demonstration in the northeastern German city of Rostock on Saturday to remember and oppose the racist attack that broke out there three decades ago.
The riots broke out in August 1992, shortly after German reunification, and saw extremists attack the city's central reception center for asylum-seekers while local residents looked on and cheered.
The extremists also attacked a hostel where Vietnamese workers were living. Some 150 people faced mortal danger during the several days of racist mob violence.
The riots have been labeled the worst racist attack in Germany since the end of World War II.
Rostock remembers
The event was organized by a local group that aims to keep the memory of the attack alive. The slogan for the event was "remembrance means change."
The head of the city's migrant council, Seyhmus Atay-Lichterman, told the EPD news agency that the riots had been caused by a failure of politics and the police. He said the memory of the pogrom must be kept alive.
Imam-Jonas Dogesch, a spokesperson for the organizers, said refugees and asylum seekers are still largely excluded from society, with stricter laws making it almost impossible to seek asylum in Germany.
Hatred and violence toward refugees and asylum-seekers in Germany are still far from extinguished, with neo-Nazis and far-right political parties enjoying considerable support, especially in certain parts of the country.
An example was given on Friday night, when an unknown assailant in the eastern city of Leipzig threw projectiles at a residence for refugees.
Police said that the attack resulted in only minimal external damage to the building, but the act still raised concern, with Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster tweeting that "it is an alarming sign that such inhumane criminal acts are not restricted to the past."
Rostock riots: How the right-wing extremist attack unfolded 30 years ago
In August 1992, Germany experienced nearly a week of violence as right-wing extremists attacked a refugee housing complex in Rostock. Here's a timeline of the events.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Wüstneck
Saturday, August 22: Riots erupt
People gather in front of the "Sunflower House," the city's central admission center for refugees and asylum seekers. The scene turns violent when some 200 in the far-right extremist crowd begin throwing stones. By 2 a.m., the police deploy water cannons, temporarily bringing the situation under control several hours later.
Image: imago/C. Ditsch
Sunday, August 23: The rioters return
Far-right extremists and neo-Nazis travel from across Germany to join the rioters. The asylum reception center and apartment block comes under attack over the course of the day. By 8 p.m. some 500 rioters have gathered, cheered on by an additional 3,000 bystanders.
Image: imago/R. Schober
'Foreigners out!'
The crowd chants "Germany for Germans" and "Foreigners out!" while rioters continue to pelt the building with stones and Molotov cocktails. Police on site also come under attack. State border protection police and security forces from nearby Hamburg help bring the situation under control.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/B. Wüstneck
Monday, August 24
Authorities evacuate the asylum center, but many of its Vietnamese residents, who had been contract workers hired by the former East Germany, are left behind. In the evening neo-Nazis and other rioters clash with police in the streets. Thousands chant right-wing slogans. Police officers are injured.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Haentzschel
Up in flames
Vietnamese residents are left in the Sunflower House with no protection. The building goes up in flames after rioters throw Molotov cocktails. Some 120 people, including children, are trapped inside.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/J. Bauer
Extremists block firefighters
More fire bombs are thrown at the building as the fire brigade calls for police protection. People trapped inside manage to climb onto the roof and escape through a different apartment block. Police arrive and push back the rioters. Vietnamese residents are brought to emergency shelters.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Tuesday, August 25: Police step up response
Unlike the days before, police take more drastic action. They respond to ongoing riots with water cannons and tear gas. The situation is finally under control by 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/B. Wüstneck
Wednesday, August 26: The riots are over
Remaining asylum-seekers leave the Sunflower House in the wake of the riots, under police protection.
