29 years ago, racist, far-right riots broke out in the north-german city rostock, lasting for days. a violent mob threw petrol bombs + stones at sunflower tower, an apartment block where asylum seekers were housed. 1000s of neighbours stood by + applauded. police retreated. 1/9 
conditions in sunflower tower were appalling: the shelter was intended to house 350 refugees a month but actually averaged 11,500 (primarily roma but also vietnamese refugees). people were left to camp outside the building without toilets, water or rubbish collection. 2/9
local + tabloid press played its part in stirring up hate. once the attacks began, 100s of neo-nazis began throwing molotovs + climbing into the building via balconies armed w/ baseball bats. the building burned + the crowd looked on, cheering. police were attacked + withdrew 3/9
a famous photo of the riots shows a man sporting a german football shirt giving the hitler salute after seemingly having pissed himself 4/9
police didn’t regain control of situation for over 3 days. a wave of copycat riots in following days targeted asylum centres across the state of mecklenburg-western pomerania. of the few cases filed against attackers, many were dropped, settled w/ fines or suspended sentences 5/9
cases against police chiefs in charge of the operation were also dropped, despite failing to prevent or adequately stop the worst racist attacks in post-war germany. 6/9
these years would later be dubbed the #baseballschlägerjahre - baseball bat years. and the far right were able to partly succeed politically: germany’s asylum laws were made stricter in the wake of these pogroms + sunflower tower was evacuated, its inhabitants never to return 7/9
chancellor kohl and leading members of the CDU, instead of acknowledging the racist, far-right motivation of the attacks, attempted to blame them on the stasi, the former GDR’s security service. 8/9
far right violence in germany continues to this day: at least 213 people have been killed by the far right in germany since 1990. and you only have to look at the burning refugee centres post 2015 to see that the far-right legacy of rostock-lichtenhagen sadly lives on. 9/9
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