German President Frank Walter Steinmeier asked for forgiveness at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics attacks on Israeli athletes and team members, at the airfield near Munich where a failed rescue attempt took place.
Speaking on Monday at Fürstengeldbruk Air Base, in the presence of representatives of the families of the 11 athletes murdered by the Black September terrorist movement, President Isaac Herzog, members of the Israel Olympic Committee and others who were present for the solemn commemoration ceremony, Steinmeier said it was his duty and his need to acknowledge Germany’s responsibility “here, now and into the future.”
Addressing the families directly, Steinmeier pleaded for forgiveness, saying it was impossible to make up for what had happened, the obstruction of justice, the ignorance, the injustice that the families of the victims had experienced, and the pain they had suffered for decades.
All this made him ashamed, said Steinmeier, who noted that the Munich Olympics had been intended to show the face of the new Germany as distinct from the 1936 Berlin Olympics held after the Nazis came to power.
Speaking at the Olympic Village earlier in the day, Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter also apologized, saying what had been demanded by humanity had not been done.
Speaking at the same ceremony, Sport and Culture Minister Chili Tropper said the Munich Olympics were stained with blood not only because of the murder of the members of the Israeli team but because the games continued.
Herzog and Steinmeier laid wreaths at the monument to the slain athletes in Munich. After the ceremony, they sat with local youths to discuss the importance of remembrance.
Herzog thanks those who apologized
Before leaving Berlin for Munich, Herzog met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz with whom he discussed bilateral, regional and security issues. He also thanked Scholz for his commitment and contributions to Israel’s security and to advancing the Israel-Germany relationship throughout his career through his consistent fighting against antisemitism.
“This brutal and barbaric massacre, which ended the lives of 11 Israeli athletes and one German policeman, was a momentous human tragedy in which the values of morality and justice were trampled, human dignity was erased, and all semblance of humanity lost. It was the moment the Olympic torch was snuffed.”
President Isaac Herzog
Herzog commended Steinmeier for his “brave and historic speech.” He said that all those who remember the dark and endless hours of that bitter September carry in their hearts the same scar and the same moments in which they followed with excruciating anxiety the conflicting media reports. Although he was only a young boy at the time, he said, he would never forget that awful morning driving with his father to school and hearing the horrific news on the car radio.
Looking back at that period of history, Herzog said, “This brutal and barbaric massacre, which ended the lives of 11 Israeli athletes and one German policeman, was a momentous human tragedy in which the values of morality and justice were trampled, human dignity was erased, and all semblance of humanity lost. It was the moment the Olympic torch was snuffed.”
Among the other speakers was Ankie Spitzer, the widow of slain fencer and coach, Andre Spitzer, who together with Ilana Romano, the widow of weightlifter Yossef Romano, has been in the forefront of the struggle to get Germany to acknowledge its responsibility and to pay adequate compensation to the families of the victims.
Reuters contributed to this report.