"Was a helper and a hero"

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Thousands of people followed the large funeral procession of police officers on Friday.

(Bild: x.com/PolizeiMannheim)

Thousands of people took part in a moving funeral service on Friday to bid farewell to the police officer who was attacked with a knife and fatally injured by a suspected Islamist on Mannheim's market square two weeks ago. 

Relatives and friends of the deceased, politicians - including German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) - and hundreds of police officers gathered at the Rosengarten Congress Center.

Friendly and open - this is how speakers described the 29-year-old officer. "With his human, even loving nature, Rouven left his mark on the hearts of everyone who met him," said Ralf-Peter Schwindt, Laur's former boss.

"There was no task or job he was too good for"
Laur always looked after others and helped even beyond the call of duty. "Whether as a hard-working helper at the company outing or as a mover during a colleague's move: he was never too good for any task or job," said Schwindt. "It's not often that we meet someone in our lives who is so special that they stay in our hearts forever. Rouven was such a person."

Prior to the funeral service, several hundred of Laur's colleagues had already taken part in a funeral march through Mannheim city center. A police spokeswoman said that around 2,000 people took part in the march on Friday.

(Bild: x.com/PolizeiMannheim)

Laur's family thanked the public for their sympathy; thousands of people had come.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Uwe Anspach)

Speakers and participants wrestle with tears
Friendly and open-minded, Rouven Laur smiles from the large photo on the stage in Mannheim towards the more than 2000 mourners. Two colleagues stand guard next to him, struggling not to burst into tears during the speeches. The politicians and police officers who paid tribute to the fatally injured officer also found their voices breaking again and again.

Police officer wanted to meet people at eye level 
Baden-Württemberg's Minister President Winfried Kretschmann called the officer's death an "existential injustice". "Because Rouven Laur in particular was someone who strove for understanding, who did not think in black and white, who sought balance, who always thought of others," said the Green politician.

As a police officer, Laur wanted to meet the people of Mannheim at eye level - which is why he learned Arabic, among other things.

Laur's family expressed their gratitude for the public sympathy. "What has happened around us in the last few days, this huge wave of sympathy, touches us deeply," the family wrote.

Action must follow the grief
At the same time, the relatives called for the crime not to be instrumentalized, but for action to follow the grief. "Rouven would not have wanted us to be overwhelmed by hate and anger. Instead, he would have encouraged us to pass on his values and fight for change and a new direction," the family wrote.

Two weeks ago, a 25-year-old Afghan injured five participants at a rally organized by the Islam-critical Pax Europa movement and the police officer with a knife on Mannheim's market square. The German Federal Public Prosecutor's Office assumes a religious motive for the crime.