Saime Genç was 4 years old.
She was looking forward to going to kindergarten soon and said that it would not be long before she would go to school like her older sister Hülya.
Durmuş and Mevlüde Genç hail from Mercimek village in Amasya province in northern Turkey. In 1962 the two married there. In 1970 Durmuş Genç went to work in Germany as part of the recruitment agreement. After various positions in Recklinghausen and Bergneustadt, he finally found a job in Solingen. In 1973 his wife Mevlüde visited him here for the first time.
Hülya Genç was 9 years old.
The diligent student couldn‘t wait to wear her new dress for the Festival of Sacrifice and to celebrate with her friends.
Shortly after the birth of their daughter Hatice, Mevlüde Genç moved to Solingen in July 1975. Four of their children were staying with relatives in Turkey for the time being. Only with the purchase of the house on Untere Wernerstraße in February 1980 the family was reunited under one roof and happy to be able to start a new life together. More children and grandchildren were born here, went to school and had plans for their future.
Gülistan Öztürk was 12 years old.
She was happy to be able to spend the long-awaited vacation with her relatives and felt very comfortable during her stay in Germany.
On May 29, 1993, the murderous attack on their house teared the family apart. Saime Genç (4 years old), Hülya Genç (9 years old), Gülistan Öztürk (12 years old), Hatice Genç (18 years old) and Gürsün İnce (27 years old) died, other relatives were injured, some seriously.
Hatice Genç was 18 years old.
After graduating from the Friedrich List Vocational College, she wanted to become a bank clerk, something she had dreamed of since childhood.
Mevlüde Genç did not want to give in to racist hatred and called for reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. In May 1995 she took on German citizenship. In 1996 she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. The center of life of the family remained in Solingen. Mevlüde Genç died here on October 30, 2022 at the age of 79.
Gürsün İnce was 27 years old.
Her then two-year-old daughter, with whom she had many plans for a happy family life, survived badly injured.
Özlem Genç, the granddaughter of Durmuş and Mevlüde Genç, spoke about the legacy and message of her grandmother Mevlüde at the 30th anniversary commemoration in the Solingen Theater and Concert Hall in front of 600 invited guests, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier:
They wanted to sow fear and anxiety, but she, she sowed courage and hope in people’s hearts. They wanted people to lose faith in humanity. But she never lost her faith.
You can read her speech here:
- Speech by Özlem Genç at the commemoration ceremony on May 29, 2023