Candles burn on the steps of the "Goldener Riss" memorial during a commemoration ceremony marking the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Christmas market at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz.
© dpa
A memorial service is planned to mark the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Berlin Christmas market on December 19.
Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) will attend the ecumenical memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Breitscheidplatz this evening.
Afterwards, participants will gather in silence at the memorial "Der Riss" (The Crack) at the church to commemorate the victims. At 8 p.m., Pastor Sarah-Magdalena Kingreen will read out the names of the victims. At 8:02 p.m., the time of the attack, the church bells will ring as they have done in previous years. Wegner emphasized: "It is important that we commemorate the victims every year in the Memorial Church – but we also remember the first responders and helpers, the police and fire department, and the fairground workers who experienced the terrorist attack on December 19 on site." Berlin will not forget these people. "The terrorist attack must always be a warning to us."