Claus Kaminsky said the memory of the racist killings in Hanau town on Feb.19, 2020, should bring the whole of Germany to an annual assessment of its fight against far-right extremism.
Kaminsky is the mayor of the German town of Hanau.
“We are in a worse position in the fight against the right than we were on Feb. 19, 2020.
“The good news is that we can see from the nationwide demonstrations that many people are standing up against it,’’ he said.
In 2020, a shooting rampage by a far-right extremist in Hanau targeted foreigners.
The gunman killed nine people before shooting his mother and himself.
Many events were planned in Hanau on and around Feb. 19, on the fourth anniversary of the attack that occurred in the town east of Frankfurt.
The largest would be the demonstration on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m. (1300 GMT), which has been called for by the Feb. 19th Initiative, which unites relatives and victims of the attack and supporters.
The rally aimed to remember the victims and send a “strong signal against racism, anti-Semitism and right-wing extremism,’’ according to the appeal.
The organisers are expecting a large number of participants from all over Germany.
The demonstration had been organised for 3,000 people.