20 years after Cologne NSU bombing, racism 'on the rise'

On June 9, 2004, just before 4 p.m., the lively shopping street Keupstrasse in Cologne's Mülheim district was rocked by an explosion.

A nail bomb detonated in front of a barbershop run by a Cologne resident with Turkish roots. Windows shattered, cars were damaged and the shop was destroyed in a blazing fire. Twenty-two people were injured, four of them severely.

Nobody was killed, but those affected still carry the physical and emotional scars today — not least due to how the investigating authorities mishandled the case.

Ali Demir was one of the first witnesses to testify to the police.

Ali Demir was one of the first witnesses to testify to the policeImage: Tuncay Yildirim/ DW

"I was sitting alone in my office on Keupstrasse when the bomb detonated," he told DW. "As the glass shattered, I threw myself on the ground. I thought it was just gas. Outside, people were screaming. The bomb went off at the same time little kids were being picked up from day care. The aim was to kill the children and their parents."

Migrant community under general suspicion

One day after the devastating explosion, German Interior Minister Otto Schily told the public that preliminary investigations by security agencies suggested the attack was not linked to terrorist motives, but to a "criminal environment" and a power struggle between rivals.

Witnesses who testified were asked if they had been in debt, if they had insurance, or if they knew about any "rivalries" in the area.

"I knew every single shop owner on that street," Demir said. "There were no 'rivalries.'"

He recounted how shocked everyone was to hear Schily's suspicions. With just one statement, the minister has criminalized an entire street, and only made matters worse, said Demir. "The police carried out raids along the street, and accused shop owners."

That meant the state's general suspicion was directed at citizens with Turkish and Kurdish backgrounds, as they were the ones who owned most restaurants, shops, salons, jewelry shops and shoe stores that lined the street.

Decades later, questions remain unanswered

Initially, the radical right was briefly suspected of having carried out the attack, but that notion was swiftly set aside. It wasn't until 2011 that authorities determined that the far-right terror group the National Socialist Underground (NSU) planted and detonated the nail bomb.

After the news broke, Schily admitted he had made a "grave mistake."

Kemal Bozay, a sociologist at the Cologne Center for Radicalization Research and Prevention at the International University of Applied Sciences, accused German politicians of being indifferent.

"Between 1998 and 2011, attacks by the NSU were the topic of much debate in German politics and society," he said. "But these discussions did not lead to much change."

Bozay added that even though it had become clear in 2011 that the NSU was behind the attack, many questions remained unanswered .

At the time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised the relatives of those affected by the explosion that the militant NSU terrorist cell would be thoroughly investigated. That promise was not kept, said Bozay. "So far, no meaningful steps have been made in that direction."

Meral Sahin, the chairwoman of the Keupstrasse community interest group, is also disappointed. "Not much has changed," she said. "Several politicians came, posed for pictures and left. We're all alone again, but at least we're not suspects anymore."

The NSU didn't target Cologne's Mühlheim district at random: around one-third of its residents had a migration background. Keupstrasse, in particular, is one of the key focal points for many Cologne residents with Turkish roots.

Germany's art scene has addressed the attack in various forms over the past 20 years. In 2014, the German-Turkish rapper Eko Fresh wrote a song about the attack named "Es brennt" ("It's burning"). The 2017 German drama film "In the Fade" by renowned director Fatih Akin was inspired by the attack, and went on to win the 2018 Golden Globe and Critics' Choice awards for best foreign language film.

'Racist tendencies are on the rise'

For the past 10 years, on the anniversary of the attack, the semiannual cultural festival Birlikte (Together) has been held in remembrance of the violent event, and to take a stand against hate.

"It's about a terrorist attack," said Sahin. "Of course we don't celebrate the attack. But we want to create a festive atmosphere to invite people to come visit us and get to know our street."

Meral Sahin chairs the Keupstrasse interest group that represents victims of the 2004 NSU terror attackImage: Tuncay Yildirim/ DW

Sociologist Bozay believes Germany has experienced a shift in attitude since the series of murderous NSU attacks was uncovered.

"Today, one could say that German society has developed an awareness for the NSU and racism," he said. "After the NSU's attacks and killings, Germany became sensitized to right-wing extremism and racism. Compared to the past, people now speak more about the dangers that racism and right-wing extremism pose."

However, he also pointed out that what he considered to be racists continued to meet and make plans to "remigrate" parts of Germany's population, or that young, wealthy Germans apparently had no qualms about singing "Ausländer raus" ("Foreigners out — Germany for Germans") while on vacation, referring to a recent viral video of revelers outside a bar on the upmarket North Sea island of Sylt.

"These are clear indications that racist tendencies are on the rise," said Bozay. "This leads to further societal polarization and distrust. Migrant communities are becoming more fearful."

This article was originally written in German.