Leading national and local politicians as well as some 1,500 family, friends and supporters commemorated the police officer who was stabbed to death by an Afghan immigrant a week ago in the south-western German city of Mannheim.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the knife attack in which a police officer was fatally injured on the city's Market Square as a "bloody act of terrorism."
The mother of police officer Rouven Laur, 29, broke down in tears. Laur died on Sunday, days after he was injured as he sought to intervene when a man attacked several people during a rally by the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa in Mannheim, a city in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
Steinmeier, Baden-Württemberg Premier Winfried Kretschmann and state Interior Minister Thomas Strobl all paused for a minute's silence at 11:34 am (0934 GMT). Police officers across the country remembered Laur too.
In recent weeks, there have been further "heinous acts of politically motivated violence" with attacks on mayors, ministers, members of parliament and volunteers, Steinmeier said.
"We, the democrats of this country, must never and will never get used to violence in political disputes."
As a consequence of the fatal knife attack, Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to allow the deportation of serious criminals to Afghanistan and Syria again. In his government statement on Thursday, the chancellor did not say exactly how he intends to implement this.
At the ceremony, Steinmeier laid a floral tribute at the scene as many gathered on the square to mourn the death of the policeman. Laur's mother burst into tears.
Some 50 officers from the city's police headquarters, mainly patrol officers, a spokeswoman said, lined up in front of a sea of flowers laid on the Market Square and clasped hands as they paid tribute to their colleague. Onlookers applauded.
The 25-year-old Afghan also injured five participants at the rally on May 31 who are still suffering from the consequences and are all still in pain, according to Stefanie Kizina from Pax Europa.
"We are all still in shock," she said. "You pull yourself together, you have to get over it first." She said they've lived in danger but "somehow you always assumed that nothing would happen, that it wouldn't be so bad." Board member Michael Stürzenberger, 59, had to be hospitalized once again due to his high blood loss from the attack.
On Friday evening after the ceremony, several hundred people demonstrating against Islamism at a rally organized by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Mannheim were met with several thousand counterdemonstrators calling for Nazis to get out of the country.
Police said there were around 700 at the AfD event who were met by around 3,300 counterdemonstrators opposed to the AfD rally. Chants of "AfD, AfD" on the one hand and "Nazis out" on the other could be heard. A large police contingent separated the demonstrators.
Meanwhile, the regional chairman of the German Police Union, Ralf Kusterer, said the force is touched by the outpouring of sympathy over Laur's death, but that is mixed with anger.
"The frustration towards politicians is huge." After acts like these, there are extensive political discussions and demands, but ultimately nothing changes, Kusterer said. For example, there needs to be concrete discussion about further training for police officers, equipment for protection and for treating wounds after attacks.
The local police haven't said much since the attack. A Mannheim police spokesman said on Thursday they did not wish to comment.
The attacker was shot by a police officer during the attack. He underwent surgery for his injuries. The 25-year-old has not been fit for questioning in recent days.
He came to Germany as a teenager in 2013 and applied for asylum, according to dpa research. The application was denied in 2014. However, a ban on deportation was imposed, presumably due to his young age.
The perpetrator last lived in Heppenheim in Hesse, with his wife and two small children. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has taken over the investigation into the case.
The Mannheim police are planning a public memorial service for Laur on June 14 but due to space considerations only family, invited guests and Mannheim police department employees will be able to attend.
