Demo for ex-RAF terrorist: Great excitement, hardly any crowd

Rally in front of the Vechta prison where Daniela Klette is imprisoned: All prisoners deserve solidarity, the activists emphasized on Sunday.

Probably good to hear behind bars: “Solidarity for Daniela” demo on Sunday afternoon in front of the Vechta prison Photo: Nordphoto/Imago

BREMEN taz | When she opened the rally on Sunday afternoon, Ariane Müller leaned against a dusty old Volvo. “So far there has been more press than participants,” she says dryly before reading out the requirements. Müller is surrounded by journalists with photo and video cameras.

Rio Reiser is singing “No Power for Nobody” from the loudspeaker on the car. Around 25 people followed the call for the “Solidarity for Daniela” rally and stood in front of the correctional facility (JVA) for women in Vechta. The brick building, which is centrally located in downtown Vechta, stands in blazing sunshine.

At the end of February, the suspected former RAF member Daniela Klette was arrested in an apartment in Berlin after three decades in the underground. Among other things, she is suspected of being involved in the explosive attack against the Weiterstadt prison in March 1993, which is considered the RAF’s last terrorist attack. She is also accused of two counts of attempted murder, robberies with firearms and other explosive attacks. Klette has been in custody in Vechta since the end of February.

The group “Solidarity with Daniela Klette” called for it, and Müller registered the rally. They want to show solidarity with Daniela Klette “and the persecuted”, but also “with our own history”, it says in a call for the demo. The urban guerrilla is part of left-wing politics and “despite its mistakes, an attempt to unhinge this criminal system,” the text continues. In addition, the date on March 17th is in “context with March 18th, the day of political prisoners”.

Stress in advance for the applicant

Applicant Müller is an intensive care nurse and works council member at the Bremen Mitte Clinic, which is run by Gesundheit Nord (Geno). Last week, the Geno works council revoked Müller’s “exempt” status in response to her demo registration. Müller told the regional magazine “buten un binnen” that she could very well differentiate between her works council work and her private life.

Geno also reacted as an employer. Compared to the Weser courier The spokeswoman for the Geno management, Karen Matiszick, distanced herself “strongly” from Müller and announced that Geno would also examine the consequences under labor law.

In the past, the 70-year-old has been involved in various alliances against job cuts and for better working conditions in the medical sector. In 2021 she was named “Bremen Woman of the Year” due to her years of commitment.

“All the doors were open, the prisons were empty,” is what the loudspeaker now says after Müller has read out the conditions. Some demo participants stand calmly in the sun together in small groups. About half seem to be Daniela Klette’s age, wearing practical backpacks, jute bags and outdoor jackets or faded hoodies. The remaining demonstrators are between 20 and 30. Many of them wear black clothing, hats and caps – some have covered themselves with scarves or respiratory masks.

CDU with counter-demo

Another rally is taking place just 200 meters away that day. In response to the rally for Klette, the CDU district association called for a “memorial hour for the victims of the RAF”. “No solidarity with terrorists” is the call from the CDU, which calls on people to stand together “against terror and for our values”. Around 100 people came to the CDU event.

One speaker emphasized that other parties and organizations also shared the call. In his speech, the mayor of Vechta, Kristian Kater (SPD), speaks of a “defensive democracy” that must oppose extremism and also draws parallels to the many demonstrations against right-wing extremism in recent weeks. Some people hold signs with the names of the RAF victims. The names of the victims will be read out later.

On Franziskanerplatz, the rally site in front of the JVA, Ariane Müller now speaks directly to Daniela Klette via the microphone: “We greet you warmly with a huge hug.” Between the speeches, the organizers repeatedly play the two “Ton, Steine Shards” songs.

Another speaker emphasized that the participants in the rally were not supporting the RAF, which has been dissolved for 26 years, but rather that “all prisoners need solidarity and greetings”. An anti-nuclear activist, who has already been in the Vechta prison, criticizes the “forced labor at extremely low wages” that takes place in prisons.

Different motives among the participants

For Elisabeth Aufurth, the rally is an opportunity to show solidarity. Namely “for people whose actions I can understand”. The 70-year-old traveled to Vechta from the neighboring Diepholz district. During her professional life it was difficult to show solidarity, so she preferred to remain silent. Now things are different. “If she realized that we were here, that would be really great,” says Aufurt, referring to Klette.

Another participant says he was only born after the RAF was dissolved. He doesn’t think the RAF did everything right. But it is “more inspiring and consistent” than many other attempts to abolish “the capitalist system”.

A 27-year-old arrived from Bremen. He came primarily because of the “media hunt in connection with the arrest of Daniela Klette”. “The repression not only affects those arrested, but the entire left-wing movement,” he says. Several left-wing projects in Berlin have recently been stormed by the police using brutal methods.