Almost all parliamentary groups in the state parliament approved a parliamentary investigation into the attack in Hanau in February 2020. The focus should be on possible failures by the security authorities and the police.
With a large majority, the parliamentary groups in the Wiesbaden state parliament decided on Wednesday evening to set up a committee of inquiry into the racially motivated attack in Hanau. With the exception of the AfD, all parties pleaded in the plenary debate on Wednesday afternoon for a parliamentary review of the events of February 19, 2020.
Restore confidence in the state
The opposition factions of the SPD, Left and FDP had jointly submitted a corresponding application. The CDU and the Greens had already signaled their approval in advance. In the evening, the application was then officially accepted.
The committee of inquiry was necessary because the authorities and the interior ministry had failed in the 17 months to sufficiently clarify the circumstances of the crime, said the leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Nancy Faeser. Among other things, it is still not clear why the emergency call was temporarily understaffed on the night of the crime or why the emergency exit at the first crime scene was locked. The fact that the Hanau public prosecutor’s office refrained from investigating the police in Hanau was “not a prejudice”. The question of possible failures is by no means answered.
It must also be clarified why the perpetrator had a gun ownership card and why the use at the home of the assassin dragged on for hours. “The victims have lost a lot of trust in the state,” said Faeser. Survivors and relatives would expect “no miracles” from a committee of inquiry, but they would make a contribution to “complete clarification”.
Left does not want an end
FDP parliamentary group leader René Rock emphasized that the committee of inquiry could help to restore “shaken trust” in the state institutions: “This committee of inquiry must not dig trenches, but must build bridges through transparency and openness.”
Janine Wissler, parliamentary group leader of the Left, spoke of the fact that there should not be a line: “As long as questions are not answered, as long as errors and omissions are not acknowledged and dealt with, the families of the victims will not find peace.”
“First educate, then judge”
Meanwhile, the CDU parliamentary group leader Ines Claus contradicted the accusation that the Interior Ministry under Peter Beuth (CDU) did not sufficiently contribute to the investigation. She pointed out that relatives were allowed to attend the interior committee just a few weeks after the crime and in the middle of the first corona wave. There the course of the act and the police operation were “meticulously” traced.
Your group had great understanding for the questions of the relatives, but probably not all could be answered in the committee of inquiry, said Claus. In addition, “justified criticism” should not lead to “general suspicion against the police”. Green parliamentary group leader Mathias Wagner appealed to all parties to refrain from “intrigues” in the committee of inquiry. The motto must apply “first clarify, then judge”.
Interior Minister Beuth himself stated that his ministry was dependent on the Federal Public Prosecutor’s final report for a complete answer to the questions. However, this is not yet available.
AfD senses left-wing populism
The AfD was the only parliamentary group to speak out against the establishment of the committee of inquiry. The joint proposal by the SPD, the Left and the FDP is an example of “party-politically motivated left-wing populism,” said parliamentary group leader Klaus Herrmann. The attack has been solved. It was about the act of a mentally ill person who is now being abused for the fight against the law. The establishment of the investigation committee aims to “bring the police and regulatory authorities into disrepute in retrospect,” said Herrmann.
The final vote on the application will take place on Wednesday evening.
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