Good morning, dear reader,
extremism is omnipresent. Several regional associations of the AfD in East Germany are controlled by extremists; In three federal states they want to grab power in the state elections in the fall. In the Islamist Environment it is also teeming with extremists; They incite against Jews, Christians and women or concoct attacks – inspired by their spiritual brothers in the Gaza Strip and Iran. Also in The Kremlin sits an extremist; He suppresses any criticism of his imperialist mafia regime with brutal violence.
But right-wing radicals, Islamic fundamentalists and political gangsters are not alone with their unscrupulous fanaticism. From Left-wing extremists still poses a significant threat. Autonomous cells have set up shop in Berlin, Leipzig and other cities, and the support scene is drumming up against democratic politicians, the market economy and the state of Israel. It is a well-known, but no less perfidious ideology. Although the security authorities do not consider left-wing extremism to be nearly as dangerous as right-wing or Islamist extremism, it has left a long trail of blood through German history. To this day, the acts are glorified in left-wing extremist circles and the perpetrators are glorified.
The terrorists of the “Red Army Faction” committed 33 murders, 9 of which are still unsolved:
Who shot the then Federal Prosecutor General in April 1977 Siegfried Buback and two of his companions?Who was the shooter of the employer president in the “German Autumn” of 1977? Hanns Martin Schleyer?Who was the couple who killed the MTU boss in February 1985? Ernst Zimmerman in his home, tied him up and shot him in the head? Who killed the Siemens manager in July 1986 Karl Heinz Beckurts with a bomb?Who fired the fatal shots at the diplomat in October 1986 Gerold von Braunmühl from?Who built and who detonated the bomb that hit the then Deutsche Bank boss in November 1989 Alfred Herrhausen to his death? Who was the sniper whose bullets hit the head of the Treuhand in April 1991? Detlev Carsten Rohwedder fatally hit and injured his wife?
Investigators have been investigating these murder cases for decades, following leads, interviewing witnesses and piling up mountains of files. There are relevant clues and many more speculations as to who the perpetrators could have been – but no certainty. It’s not just missing because some of those suspected of being in the know are now dead. But above all because many of the murderers of the RAF, which was disbanded in 1998, remain silent to this day, as do their helpers and sympathizers. Investigators report a “vow of silence like that of the mafia.”
Even the motives for several crimes are still unclear. For example, was the extremely precise attack on the Treuhand boss Rohwedder really attributable to the RAF – or was it actually the case? former Stasi people the strings whose circles Rohwedder disturbed because he was looking for the GDR secret service’s missing millions in assets? It would be a great relief for the relatives and descendants of the RAF victims to have certainty about what happened. The German state and its investigative bodies also have a great interest in this. Every unsolved murder case is a thorn in the side of the rule of law and can undermine trust in state institutions.
The police have been looking for the terrorist trio for more than 25 years. The three are probably no longer planning any attacks, but are said to have committed several serious robberies in order to finance their living underground. They probably also fired at people. “The third generation of the RAF is still prepared to use armed force,” write my colleagues Carsten Janz, Jonas Mueller-Töwe and Lars Wienand. Dust, burdock and dirt were probably also responsible for the explosion New prison building in Weiterstadt responsible in 1993. Above all, they could possibly help to finally solve the nine unsolved RAF murders in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, several former RAF terrorists who had been hiding in the GDR with the help of the Stasi were discovered. They were brought to court in Stuttgart-Stammheim, among other places. Back then, I skipped school to follow the trials in the dreary trial building next to the maximum security prison. So I saw how Christian Ready and Brigitte Mohnhaupt Two of the most cold-blooded RAF perpetrators were called to the witness stand. In the 1970s they had terrorized the Republic – now they sat there as stubborn, haggard figures. Failed existences that still didn’t want to regret after all these years, but instead pursued their ideological fantasies. If they hadn’t brought so much suffering to so many people, one could have felt sorry for them.
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The fugitive RAF perpetrators are now of retirement age. Ernst-Volker Staub is 70, Daniela Klette is 66, if she is still alive. Burkhard Garweg is younger at 55, but his years in the underground must have taken a toll on him too: always on the run, always afraid of being arrested, probably without access to doctors and relatives. Investigators say one of Staub’s distinguishing features is his bad teeth. Perhaps her arrest would not only be a relief for the families of the RAF victims. But also for the perpetrators themselves.
Digital giant in distress
Google is one of the most powerful companies in the world and, thanks to an army of lobbyists, also has enormous influence in the EU. Nevertheless, Google’s trade secrets are now becoming a case for the Federal Court of Justice: The Karlsruhe judges are today hearing a legal dispute between Google’s parent company Alphabet and the Federal Cartel Office. It’s about Google Automotive Services, which includes the Maps map service, the Google Play app store and the voice assistant. Google offers the services to car manufacturers for licensing – but only as a bundle. In this way, competitors in the billion-dollar market may be controlled.
Explosive verdict
In Great Britain, the legal tug-of-war over the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the USA is entering its final round. The London High Court is reviewing a judge’s decision from last June in a two-day hearing. Assange had refused to appeal against his extradition. The court will now finally decide whether all legal remedies for Assange have been exhausted in Great Britain – or whether he can continue to take action against his extradition.
If Assange’s objection is rejected, the extradition process will begin. Washington accuses the activist of publishing hundreds of thousands of secret documents about US military and diplomatic activities starting in 2010. The papers contained explosive information about the American military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the murder of civilians and the mistreatment of prisoners. If convicted, the 52-year-old Australian faces decades in prison. It would be a setback for human rights.
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