Mannheim commemorates police officers Rouven Laur: Together for peace!

Mannheim commemorates police officers Rouven Laur: Together for peace!

Mannheim, Deutschland - On May 31, 2025, Mannheim commemorates the police chief commissioner Rouven Laur, who was killed a year ago. The memorial event begins at 3:00 p.m. on the market square and includes an inter-religious prayer of peace and the unveiling of a memory board in honor of the 29-year-old police officer. The expected guests include Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt, Interior Minister Thomas Strobl and Mayor Christian Specht.

Rouven Laur fell victim to an attack when he was seriously injured during a mission in a knife attack and died two days later. The alleged perpetrator, Sulaiman A., has already caused a sensation in public because he attacked several people at an event of the right -wing populist movement Pax Europe during the attack. According to ZVW , Laur was stabbed from behind.

the perpetrator and the indictment

The indictment against Sulaiman A. is serious. He was charged with murder, but the Federal Attorney General does not see the deed as terrorism, despite the serious background that suggests a connection to extremist views. A. had sympathies for the "Islamic State", but no found connections to terrorist organization. He was armed with two hunting knives and had apparently intentionally prepared for the attack by exchanging his smartphone for an old device.

Sulaiman A. was overwhelmed by passers -by on the day of the day, but was able to get up and then stabbed Laur in the neck. According to Tagesschau , the public prosecutor found two murder features: insidies and low motives. A. was taken in custody in Frankfurt am Main, and a procedure is running at the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court, which has to decide on the main hearing. He threatens lifelong imprisonment and a possible deportation to Afghanistan.

police force in context

The case not only caused discussions about police violence in Mannheim, but also at the national level. In Germany, the topic has been increasingly in focus since the George Floyd case in the United States. A study by the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main analyzed the problem of police violence. Police violence is defined as an excessive or inappropriate use of physical violence by police officers
( Deutschlandfunk ).

The study shows that police violence often occurs in situations of stress or overwhelming and has increased at major events such as demonstrations or football games. Important findings on communication and the training of the civil servants underline that defects in the training can contribute to excessive use of violence. A reform is required here to question racist structures and to change the police culture.

In the debate about police violence, it is essential to strengthen the voices of those affected and to maintain their rights. In this way, a fair handling of incidents of the police force can be promoted.