January 19, 2015

Khaled Idris Bahray: murdered by a movement

editor:	Gurmeet Singh

I need to correct this article; when I first wrote it, I commented that the murder of Khaled Idris Bahray was carried out by suspected racists in the city of Dresden. I wrote that the killers were probably bolstered in their action by the PEGIDA movement; indeed, it seemed so linked (swastikas were daubed on the door of Bahray's flat, the police were involved in what seemed at the time to be a cover-up) that it was obvious Bahray was the victim of a hate crime.

I argued that the PEGIDA movement could not be taken seriously until it acknowledged its part in the killing, in that it created an atmosphere in which hatred and racism could thrive, and the killing of a person was seen to be a success for the forces of patriotic defence. I argued also that movement could no longer separate whatever legitimate concerns and confusions it may have had until it dealt with its racist elements.

The correction comes in this: the fact is, Bahray was murdered by a fellow Eritrean immigrant- Bahray's room-mate, who confessed to the murder on January 22nd, the day he was arrested. There have also been witness confirmations of the killing.

So now I wonder, what are the implications of the arrest? The truth is plain: Bahray was not killed out of racist reasons, and for this it seems that a widespread assumption that the killing was part of a racist atmosphere has been rendered instantly absurd.

However, the facts remain- the killing took place during a high-moment for PEGIDA, swastikas were painted on the door of Bahray's flat, the police action surrounding the killing was criticised as slow and obscurantist. So, actually, I look back over the initial argument, and I see why the link was made. PEGIDA may have earned a reprieve, not being culpable for the killing, but that fact that so many media outlets made the link surely means that this was something more than the sloppy journalism of a few lazy journalists- the death of a man in a unusual circumstances through light on the rise of a movement that seems to encourage racism.

So, although I acknowledge my error, I end this article the way I did originally:

"Questions remain: why were the police so slow to react? Why did it take pressure for them to announce the murder? What recourse to security measures to asylum seekers have? How can we challenge PEGIDA?"

Image: Khaled Idris Bahray, [Facebook]