Mehmet
Cubaşık

Life of Mehmet Kubaşık

Mehmet Kubaşık was born in Pazarcık, in the south of Turkey, in 1966. The Kurdish-Alevi family applied for asylum in Germany in 1991 and lived in Dortmund from the outset. On 4 April 2006, Mehmet Kubaşık was murdered by neo-Nazis from the National Socialist Underground (NSU) in his kiosk in Mallinckrodtstraße. He was torn from life at the age of 39 for racist reasons. He was the 8th person killed by the right-wing terrorist organisation NSU.

But Mehmet Kubaşık was much more than that. His daughter Gamze describes her father as the best person she has ever known. A person who was always joking around and who you simply liked. He was appreciated and popular in the neighbourhood. He liked eating ice cream with his children, barbecuing and playing football. Mehmet Kubaşık set up his own kiosk and the whole family helped out. His wife Elif says she still draws her strength from her relationship with Mehmet.

Gamze Kubaşık about her father: “My father was an open-minded, honest person. People simply liked him. He loved driving and looking after his BMW. I liked travelling with my father, listening to music in the car. Those are the days I miss the most. I remember my father playing with us a lot, he looked after us really well.”

Forms of remembrance

It was and still is the survivors and relatives who are fighting for remembrance, clarification, recognition and justice. The Kubaşık family has been doing this since 2006: in June 2006, just a few weeks after the murder of Mehmet Kubaşık, they organised a silent march in Dortmund together with friends, with one central demand: “No 10th victim!”. Even then – five years before the so-called “uncovering” – relatives, survivor and (a few) people in solidarity drew attention to the racist nature and context of the crimes and demanded a comprehensive investigation. This has not yet happened! The Kubaşık family’s demand has therefore lost none of its urgency today.

The Bündnis Tag der Solidarität – Kein Schlussstrich Dortmund alliance has been organising the commemoration of Mehmet Kubaşık on 4 April since 2013. Together with the Kubaşık family, the commemoration is always organised on 4 April. Other events such as panel discussions, film evenings and readings are also organised.

Since 2022, the Mehmet Kubaşık Children’s Festival has been held in Dortmund’s Nordstadt district at the beginning of May.

Gamze Kubaşık fights against racism as a political activist. Since 2022, she has been talking to pupils about the NSU complex and her experiences as a relative with society, the security authorities and her neighbours. She wants to shake up the young people, she wants her father Mehmet not to be forgotten. She also speaks in museums, theatres and other institutions. Her remembrance work is important because racism is still a major threat in our society.

Sources

Website: https://tagdersolidaritaet.wordpress.com/

Instagram: @bundnistagdersolidaritaet

TikTok: @bt_solidaritaet

Bluesky: @tddsksdortmund.bsky.social