17 October 1977
Night Of Death in Stammheim
Walter Hollstein, Kein Frieden im Israel. Zur Sozialgeschichte des Palestina-Konflikts, 1972
p. 15 citation in red:
"Die Auseinandersetzung mit Israel, das seine Entstehung wie auch seine gegenwärtige Existenz primär der Zusammenarbeit mit dem Imperialismus verdankt, ist für die arabischen Staaten deshalb gleichzeitig ein Kampf gegen die kolonialistische Vergangenheit und die neo-kolonialistische Gegenwart."
2003/3342
In 1977 the members of the Rote Armee Fraktion (RAF, Red Army Faction) are detained in the Stammheim Prison, and face a life sentence. In October a group of Palestinians comes to their support. They hijack a Lufthansa plane and demand the release of the RAF prisoners. The German government sends a commando team in place of the prisoners to Mogadishu airport, which ends the hijacking attempt. Back in Stammheim, the RAF members have been following the drama on a smuggled transistor radio. After hearing of the success of the raid, in the night of 17 to 18 October, Baader, Raspe, and Ensslin confront death. Suicide is the official explanation, but some people insist they were executed. The document shown is from the Stammheim library collection at the IISH and has marginal notes by members of the RAF.
See also:
• Heinrich Hannover Papers
• Projekt Arthur Collection
• Rote Armee Fraktion Collection
• Wienke Zitzlaff archives
Today in the Biographies Dutch Labour Movement
Born on 17 October |