Far-left terrorism

The willingness of parts of the far-left scene to use violence has been seen time and again in recent years. Clear examples include action during the G20 summit in Hamburg in 2017 and the rioting that accompanied the opening of the new building of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt in 2015. In addition, parts of the far-left scene have repeatedly conducted arson attacks, such as on police stations in Hamburg in 2009 and Berlin in 2011.

The ideological origins of violent left-wing extremism lie in the student protest movement of the late 1960s. In accordance with the radical idea of society held by far-left terrorists, violence is a necessary means of changing political conditions. This was also the reason given by the “Rote Armee Fraktion” (Red Army Fraction, RAF) for its attacks and murders.

The RAF committed its first criminal acts in 1970. Their first murder was committed on a Hamburg police officer on 22 October 1971. In total, the RAF is responsible for 34 murders, multiple kidnappings and numerous bank robberies and bomb attacks, injuring many people. The group announced its dissolution on 20 April 1998. To date, 26 terrorists have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Another 16 investigation proceedings with direct links to the RAF are pending at the Office of the Federal Prosecutor. They relate to the acts of the third RAF generation.

The far-left terrorist group “Revolutionäre Zellen” (Revolutionary Cells, RZ) committed its first attack in November 1973. Unlike the RAF, which was a relatively small group, the RZ consisted of cells, most of which acted independently. All in all, the RZ committed 186 serious criminal acts, such as firearms, arson and bomb attacks. No fewer than 40 of these attacks were attributed to the “Berlin cell”, whose members were arrested thanks to investigations conducted by the Office of the Federal Prosecutor. They were handed long jail sentences.

For some in the far-left scene, violence remains a means of forcing through their ideas of social policy. The “German Left-wing Terrorism” department of the Office of the Federal Prosecutor is responsible for prosecuting left-wing terrorist crimes.

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