"Rote Armee Fraktion" RAF

The origins of the group can be traced back to the student protest movement in West Germany. The Red Army Faction was formed with the intention of complementing the plethora of revolutionary and radical groups across West Germany and Europe and was to be a more class conscious and determined force compared with some of its immediate contemporaries. The main RAF protagonists trained in the West Bank and Gaza with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) guerrillas and looked to the Palestinian cause for inspiration and guidance. Many members of the RAF operated through a single contact or only knew others by their codenames. Actions were carried out by active units called 'commandos', with trained members being supplied by a quartermaster in order to carry out their mission. For more long-term or core cadre members, isolated cell-like organization was absent or took on a more flexible form. The so-called second generation of the RAF emerged at the time, consisting of sympathizers independent of the inmates. This became clear when, on 27 February 1975, Peter Lorenz, the CDU candidate for mayor of Berlin, was kidnapped by the Movement 2 June (allied to the RAF) as part of pressure to secure the release of several other detainees. Since none of these were on trial for murder, the state agreed, and those inmates (and later Lorenz himself) were released. The last big action against the RAF took place on 27 June 1993. A Verfassungsschutz (internal secret service) agent named Klaus Steinmetz had infiltrated the RAF. As a result Birgit Hogefeld and Wolfgang Grams were to be arrested in Bad Kleinen. Grams and GSG 9 officer Michael Newrzella died during the mission. While it was initially concluded that Grams committed suicide, others claimed his death was in revenge for Newrzella's. Two eyewitness accounts supported the claims of an execution-style murder. However, an investigation headed by the Attorney General failed to substantiate such claims. Due to a number of operational mistakes involving the various police services, German Minister of the Interior Rudolf Seiters took responsibility and resigned from his post. On 20 April 1998, an eight-page typewritten letter in German was faxed to the Reuters news agency, signed "RAF" with the machine-gun red star, declaring the group dissolved. There are many similarities and differences between terror attacks today and those of the RAF. One similarity is that many terrorist target political leaders of buildings of great importance like the RAF did to make a big impact. One difference between the two is that the first generation of the RAF did not try to hurt innocent bystanders and today’s terrorists don’t care who gets hurt as long as they are making an impact.

Personal response to movie

 The movie Der Baader Meinhof Komplex was a very interesting movie. I felt that it was very intense the entire time and you really had to pay attention to follow along with what was happening. I felt that the opening scene with the protestors being beaten to near death was incredibly infuriating. I felt that people should be able to voice their opinions without fear of being killed. Many scenes in this movie where infuriating in the fact that I felt the wrong person was being punished or the wrong thing was being done about a problem. I feel that at the beginning the first generation group had good intensions in their acts against the government and many people agreed with them but where to scared of punishment to step forward an fight. The first group had many good leaders and had great planning and execution to their plans. The second generation was still learning from the first and also had the right intensions but had some ideas that the first generation leaders didn’t agree with. Those ideas where often forgotten about by the second generation to please the first and they continued to recruit more people to help with their cause. After the first generation was all thrown in jail however the second and now third generations did things that where not as the first leaders had intended them to be. The group started to hurt innocent people and that is exactly what the first generation leaders where against. They hated to see this from jail and they where mad that the group was now being led by people they had never even met before. It made me very angry to see the leaders die in the prison by what I am sure was not their own will but that of someone who thought they could play god.