We shall neither make people forget Solingen nor our Aunt Mevlüde will be forgotten

A funeral ceremony was held in front of the arsoned house of Bilge Ana Mevlüde Genç, who lost her two daughters, two grandchildren and a nephew in their house, which was set on fire by the racist terrorist organisation Neo-Nazi in Solingen, Germany in 1993 and passed away on 30 October. YTB President Abdullah Eren also attended the ceremony.

Making statements after the ceremony, Eren noted that they experienced a historical day for the Turkish community in Germany. Stating that the stance of Mother Mevlüde as a result of the incident 29 years ago was an example to the whole society, Eren said, "Aunt Mevlüde showed a tremendous attitude with a dignified and virtuous stance that will set an example to the whole society, especially Germany's view of Turkey, and she has always lived this pain for 29 years. She kept the memory of her children and grandchildren alive and did this in a way that set an example for the society."

Racism is spreading like a plague

Pointing out that racism and xenophobia are spreading like a plague all over the world, Eren said, "In Germany it has deep roots. As the State Chancellor stated today, they are doing their best to fight against it, but the lives lost do not come back. As the Turkish community in Europe, we should not forget our own pain, but we should not carry it into the future as a feeling of hatred. Aunt Mevlüde did just that. We will not let Solingen be forgotten, nor will Aunt Mevlüde be forgotten."

She contributed to this country

"If you ask what kind of a Turkish human characteristic there was in this 61-year story of the Turkish community in Germany, the embodiment of this was Aunt Mevlüde Genç," Eren said: "She was hardworking, contributed to this country and continued to live here after this tragic incident. Our sadness is that after Solingen, these attacks continued. We experienced the NSU murders, we experienced the Hanau incident 3 years ago."

YTB President Eren stated in his speech that they are thinking of giving "Mevlüde Genç Humanity Awards" every year and said, "We will start giving this in 2023. Thus, we will try to show our loyalty to our aunt Mevlüde."

Mevlüde Genç's body wrapped in the Turkish flag was brought to Turkey by a plane with her husband Durmuş Genç, relatives and YTB President Abdullah Eren after the funeral ceremony held in front of her arsoned house in Germany. Genç's body will be buried after the funeral prayer to be performed at noon in Mercimek Village of Taşova district of Amasya.