June 12, 2025 | Halle (Saale)
An event in cooperation with TEKİEZ, Space for Remembrance and Solidarity
Anchoring the contemporary history of violence in Germany within the discourse of remembrance politics, as well as showing solidarity with and empowering people affected by violence and their relatives – especially in the context of increasing radicalization and the rise of extremist violence – is a central concern of the CPPD. The CPPD advocates for ensuring that people who have been targeted by violence, and their families, receive resources from the state while also experiencing greater support from civil society. This requires a rethinking of remembrance culture as a tangible resource.
The events of the »Memory Matters« festival took place at a site of critical importance for remembrance politics: TEKİEZ, Space for Remembrance and Solidarity. TEKİEZ is run by the Friedenskreis Halle. On October 9, 2019 – Yom Kippur 5780 – it was, alongside the synagogue on Magdeburger Straße in Halle and the small town of Wiedersdorf, the site of a racist, antisemitic, right-wing extremist, and antifeminist attack in which two people were murdered. Owners Ismet Tekin and Rifat Tekin are survivors of the attack. Thanks to them and the committed efforts of supporters, this location has become a space for solidarity-based remembrance.
The networking meeting during the »Memory Matters« festival brought together representatives from remembrance-political and cultural institutions, initiatives and activists, to explore the questions of how a pluralistic culture of remembrance can be shaped – one that centers the experiences of those targeted by violence; how remembrance culture can empower survivors, relatives, and affected communities; and which institutional structures are needed to sustainably anchor the perspectives of grassroots initiatives and actors.
The workshop “Continuities of Resistance,” led by artist Talya Feldman, examined the subversive potential of sound and listening as tools against hegemonic structures. Drawing from various auditory sources, participants analyzed and recontextualized repressed acoustic narratives. They developed their own sound-based forms of resistance and listening strategies as critical tools for emancipatory practice.
Following this, co-curator Max Czollek moderated a panel discussion titled “Remembering in Conflict” with survivors, relatives, and bereaved families of the right-wing terrorist attacks in Munich (2016), Halle (2019), and Hanau (2020), exploring their complex experiences in the aftermath of each attack.
In the discourse, Sibel Leyla, Said Etris Hashemi, Anastassia Pletoukhina, and İsmet Tekin vividly illustrated the full spectrum of ongoing failure by state structures – marked by a disturbing lack of accountability, ignorance, institutional racism, resistance to change, denial, and absence of meaningful investigation. They critically addressed the contradictory role of the media in reporting and explored both differences and parallels in public perception of various violent acts. The panel also highlighted the complex bureaucratic hurdles faced by those affected, while emphasizing positive developments: widespread societal solidarity and the emergence of empowering communities.
There was a shared consensus on the goals: to develop a self-determined culture of remembrance, achieve comprehensive societal reckoning, and anchor both individual stories and the structural causes of right-wing violence in collective memory. Said Etris Hashemi emphasized that the foundation for this lies in reclaiming agency and the will of those affected to shape their own narratives. Concrete examples of this empowerment include the Festival of Resilience, the participatory development of memorial sites, and the creation of self-designed educational concepts.
İsmet Tekin captured it concisely: “Solidarity is the greatest strength.” He issued an urgent appeal to German civil society: “We are fighting for a history that concerns us all. We need you!” Anastassia Pletoukhina underscored the importance of sharing personal stories as “the core of remembrance work, which is hardly taken up institutionally,” and a way to foster empathy. “We don’t want to cede the stage, but instead combine our forces – because the loneliness produced by this is unbearable for those affected. When we speak of solidarity, we mean both solidarity with civil society and among ourselves.” As the panel concluded, a central demand emerged: beyond unconditional assumption of responsibility, critical engagement, and investigation by politics and authorities, relatives must be equally included in all processes.
The discussion underscored the pivotal role of civil society’s solidarity as the foundation of a pluralistic culture of remembrance in Germany. Crucial to expanding the scope of action for remembrance initiatives and political actors is reliable financial support—a prerequisite for a self-determined and impactful pluralistic remembrance practice.
Fotos: © Elena Kasnokutskaya, 2025
