Stammheim - Die Baader-Meinhof-Gruppe vor Gericht (1986) - full transcript

Andreas Baader, born Munich, 1943

Father: historian.
Presumed dead in war

Brought up by mother and grandmother

Abandoned art school in Munich

From 1963 lives in Berlin

Set fire to Frankfurt store in 1968

Escaped from jail 1970

Re-arrested 1972 in Frankfurt

Gudrun Ensslin, born 1940

Daughter of a Protestant clergyman

Secondary School exchange pupil in USA



Studied German, English, Greek,
philosophy in Tübingen, then Berlin

State grant for exceptional ability

Mother of one child

Set fire to Frankfurt store in 1968
with Andreas Baader

Arrested in 1972 in Hamburg

Ulrike Marie Meinhof, born 1934

Father: historian. Mother: teacher

Parents died young.
Brought up by foster-mother

Studied pedagogy

State grant for exceptional ability

Editor of journal Konkret.
Radio and TV journalist

Mother of two children

Met Baader and Ensslin
during arson trial

Involved in freeing Baader 1970



Arrested 1972 in Hanover

Jan-Carl Raspe, born 1944

Father: businessman- died young.
Grew up East Berlin

Studied chemistry, then sociology
in West Berlin. First class degree

Member of German Socialist
Students' Association

Member of Red Army Faction from 1970

Arrested 1972 in Frankfurt

STAMMHEIM

The Trial of the Baader-Meinhof Group

Original Music by
Marcel Wengler

producers:
Jürgen Flimm and Eberhard Junkersdorf

Director:
Reinhard Hauff

The Baader-Meinhof trial began on
May 21st, 1975, in Stuttgart-Stammheim

It lasted over 2 years.
The court sat on 192 days

The action and dialogue are based
on authentic documents and events

Andreas Bernd Baader, unemployed

Gudrun Ensslin, student

Ulrike Marie Meinhof, journalist

Jan-Carl Stefan Raspe, sociologist

You are accused jointly in
9 independent actions..

…of killing 4 persons by means
constituting a public menace…

…and of attempting to kill
54 other persons…

…and of causing explosions…

…which endangered the lives
and property of other persons…

…and of forming an organization…

…the aim of which was to
perpetrate criminal acts

Even after their arrest…

…the accused stuck to their goals

I do not, as yet,
have a defense counsel

We do not accept the legalistic
packaging of this event

Defense is impossible when laws
are constantly being changed

We insist, however,
on a legal platform…

…to demonstrate the collapse of the
bourgeois state's ideological arguments…

…and to explain
revolutionary politics

You are free to call
any lawyer you trust

Not easy to find one who can stand
the persecution of the State

For 3 years the prosecution has
vetted the defense's every word…

…search law practices,
confiscating mail…

…and bugging lawyers' cell visits

We don't accept the laws of
the bourgeois state

But if you kick them around, what then?

The Public Prosecutor barred
3 defense counsel…

…less than 30 days before
the trial began

This smashed the defense

Herr Baader is adequately defended…

…by 2 state-appointed counsel

Those lawyers were forced upon me

They've never even spoken to me

Someone's written ''Off with his head''

Someone's written ''Off with his head''
on my microphone

That's too deep for me

Yes, counsel!

These remarks compel me
to state the following…

Don't speak for me!

I'm not speaking to Frau Ensslin

Shut your trap!

It's not your turn to speak

That creep should shut up!

- Frau Ensslin!
- Stop babbling on!

I'm not babbling. Just listen

You are incompetent!

Just a minute. Calm down!

You may not leave

Please sit down

Do you refuse that too?

There's no rule saying they must sit

Oh yes, there is

In the interests of security.
the accused must be seated

Resume your seats

We shall of course not sit.
The choice is yours

Either the compulsory squad shuts up
or we force you to remove us

All right. Remain standing for now

I understand them not wanting…

…a court-appointed defense, but…

Damn it! Get us out of here!

If they speak, we disrupt proceedings

I suggest you bar us from
the court at such times…

…to avoid these idiotic scenes

Make the pigs shut their snouts

Whom do you mean?

It's them or us!

If the court-appointed defense speaks…

…you'll continue to obstruct?

The accused have no confidence it them.

They also call them who should
keep their ''snouts'' shut

That's exactly the tone they adopt
for their own counsel out of court

In writing they have repeatedly
called them pigs, assholes…

…idiots, screwed-up people, etc…

Their lawyers may accept it
but not a state defense

If clients call us assholes, idiots,
and we say similar things to them…

…that is between
the client and ourselves

These points may seem absurd, but
they show this is a political trial

It is laudable that these counsel…

…are prepared to defend the accused
despite the abuse they receive

I observe that one of these ''laudable
counsel'' has fallen asleep

- Are you sure?
- Yes, first on the left

No expresson of mirth
from the public, please

Yes, Herr Baader

You are staging a trial with
psychologically broken prisoners

That's why we insist on our own defense

Even though it won't change the outcome

Judges sometimes turn down promotion
to avoid cases like this

Can you stay the course?

I hope so. Time will tell

Is it a political or criminal trial?
How long will it last?

For us it's a normal criminal case…

…although we can't deny political
motives will play a certain role

I cannot assess how long it will take

We shall conduct it as
concisely as possible

But that does not depend on the
good will ot the court alone

The other parties must also
be willing to cooperate

I request a 10-day adjournment…

…to prepare the case
and study the material

We'll decide that later

I don't even have the papers,

Get them from your barred colleagues

We have no spare copies here

I'm sure his colleagues will help

Can you credit it?

In this trial, millions have
been spent on security

Yet the court balks at providing
my colleague with document

For reasons of cost?

You cannot be taken seriously

Yesterday a prison officer handed me
an anonymous letter

It urged me to use this

It got past your censor

I ordered the letter delivered,
not the noose

Desist from further provocation

I said nothing

Nothing to say, you mean?

It I misunderstood something.
I don't need a chorus…

…of 4 defense counsel

If you wish to read the paper,
kindly do so outside

4 p.m. The accused cannot continue

My learned friend is obstructing

Adjournment refused

I shall retire at 4 p.m.

We cannot force you to stay.
The court will proceed till 4:15

The common room tap is broken.

The common room tap is broken.

How can it break when it's never used?

I assume something's being done?

I'll look info it

The accused cannot continue

As far as I'm concerned,
the day is over

The feeling my head is exploding

The feeling my marrow is being
pressed info my brain

The feeling my brain is
shriveling like a prune

The feeling I'm constantly alive with
electricity, as if remote-controlled

The feeling I'm pissing out my soul

I wake up, open my eyes.
The cell is moving

In the afternoon, when the sun shines,
it suddenly stops

Impossible to stop the sensation
of movement

Impossible to say if I'm shivering
with fever or cold

Raging aggression with no outlet

The worst thing is knowing I have
no chance of survival

With expensive nutrients…

…we have done our best to
improve the prisoners' health

They were even given dark glassed
when visual disorders arose

Did you know the aim of the hunger strike?

The aim?

I believe the aim was an improvement
in prison conditions

Can you be more specific?

Being together

So, the aim was an end to isolation?

Yes, that was why they refused
food and drink

If conditions had improved…

…would it have ended earlier?

You mean, would release from prison
have reduced longer to life?

You're just repeating the lies…

…propagated by the media…

…that it was to gain their release

We always said the hunger strike
would end if isolation ended

You're being contentious

Yes!
Because I want the truth

I do too

You said better conditions
lead to better health?

And the reverse?

- I don't understand
- Is the opposite true?

That severe conditions can
ruin a prisoner's health?

Obviously

You've been a prison doctor
for 20 years

Have you even seen conditions
like those in Stammheim?

No, never

Are they fit?

The accused are fit to stand trial

I declare I'm not fit

I'm in no condition to express clearly
the things I wish to say

It's absurd to thing that these past
3 years have not affected us

We want independent medical examination

And a maximum of 3 hours per day in court

Requests denied

I challenge the bias of this court

It repeatedly refuses to admit
independent doctors

Trey would reveal the use of torture
against political prisoners

The prosecution and
intelligence services…

…will only be satisfied when
the prisoners are dead

- Like justice in the Third Reich…
- That comparison is an insult to this court

Think of the insult your
occupying that chair is to us

Challenge dismissed

They always say we're not isolated…

…because we have larger cells
than other prisoners

But the fasts remain

Apart from the hunger strike, we've
been in total isolation for 3 years

When we talk to each other
through a slit in the door…

…someone stands outside
and writes it down

Herr Baader is out of order

To quote a US Supreme Court ruling:

''Disrespect for our courts of justice
must not go unpunished''

''The indefinite disruption of a trial by
the accused will not be tolerated''

''It debases our country and
our system of justice…

''…if we allow our courts to be tyrannized,
insulted, or humiliated''

All present should consider these words

The defense would happily
accept US law

This trial would then be invalidated
through prejudice…

…as you remarks in court demonstrate

It is not the role of the accused
to judge the officers of justice.

You stand accused of multiple murder

The prosecution and court
are at pains to maintain…

…the utmost objectivity

This is the first political trial
in West Germany since 1945

The authorities cannot see a victim
in the object ot their destruction

They see only a foe they want to crush

This shows a basic difference
with our struggle

Even in a Fascist, we can see
the victim of a system

It's not we who are fanatics,
but the authorities

They never answer our arguments.
They are merely formalistic

State your grounds for rejecting this court

In South Africa, political prisoners…

…are interrogated for 3 months

If they haven't talked by then, it's
clear they will die under torture

So they are shot

I'm not saying prisoners are treated
more humanely in South Africa

What I mean is…

…where torture fails as a means
of extorting information…

…all that's left is death

The purpose of detention is
the death of the prisoner

No such purpose exists in German law.
I rule you out of order

Superficial examination
by the person doctor…

…cannot assess fitness to stand trial

We'll resume our defense when evidence
is based on fact, not on expedients

The trial will proceed in your absence

We refuse to continue when
the accused are not fit

What's the meaning of this?

You should bar us!

Be seated!

Have us removed!

Do you want us to start screaming?
Stop your nonsense, idiot!

Be seated and participate
in a peaceful fashion

So you refuse to sit?

So you want us to make a formal protest?

Remove us!

If you continue to disrupt proceedings
you'll be barred

Do it, you old fool

Are you all agree?

Yes… are you deaf?

You refuse to remain?

The public must be seated
to leave the room

The accused have disrupted proceedings
and will be barred

The witness may withdraw

We shall move on to the particulars
of the accused

They have to be present.
Bring them in again… one by one

First, Raspe. By force if need be

Please identify anyone in the public
creating a disturbance…

…so appropriate measures may be taken

- Please be seated
- No

- The evidence is about your preson
- I'm not interested

- Speak about yourself
- I've been dragged here

Use the microphone

If you don't bar me. I'll jump…

The accused Raspe is barred

Bring Frau Meinhof in

Be seated

No

Will you use the microphone at least?

I don't want you to hear

I'm not fit to defend myself

A statement about yourself?

Not under these circumstances.
I want to leave

- It's your duty to stay
- You can't force me, asshole!

I note the fact you called the judge
''asshole''

Note it then!

The accused is barred from proceedings

Be seated

No, someone knocked my chair over

Pick the chair up

Please have me barred

It's not a case of what you want.

Tell me some disruptive acts, then

Must I insult you? I don't want to

You force me to stay?

I have to. I don't want to

Want insults?

I'd rather you didn't utter abuse.

I'll stop your dirty maneuver

It's not a dirty maneuver.
I'm bound by procedural rules

Do you want physical violence?

I want you to sit end take part calmly

It's a dirty maneuver, damn it!
Forcing me to insist you bar me

I just want to leave

It's not a case of personal wishes.
It's your duty.

Fine. Carry on with this silly procedure.
I'll carry on disrupting

You haven't disrupted yet

Have me removed,
or I'll have to insult you

Want to?
You can have it in various ways

I don't want it

For instance, you're a Fascist asshole

Fascist asshole, eh?

- Remove me.
- Me too, you fat pig

I hereby state you're an old Fascist asshole

Turn his microphone off

We're not in a fit state to
defend ourselves. Pig!

You have disrupted proceedings
and called me ''pig''. Is that correct?

And Herr Baader said ''Fascist asshole''

- You may speak about your person
- Dirty rat!

Remove the accused!

The court will retire to deliberate

11 o'clock news from Radio Stuttgart

On the 39th day of the Baader-Meinhof
trial in Stammheim…

…reports were presented
by 3 medical experts

They conclude that the accused…

…are suffering from debility,
perception and articulation disorders…

…weight loss, low blood pressure,
and loss of concentration

In Andreas Baader's case…

…a low heart-rate was diagnosed

And in Frau Meinhof's case,
an inability to concentrate

They are fit taje part
3 hours a day

- Hear the radio?
- The pigs finally caught on

The trial will proceed without
the accused on grounds of…

- Do not interrupt
- I wish to speak

No one may speak at present

We have a legal right to be heard

You no longer have the right

I haven't spoken yet, you pig!

I will now give the grounds

This is real brutality

Stick your pig's head up your ass!

Remove Raspe!

An unbelievably repressive act!

Remove the accused

Request for adjournment refused

After the medical report, you
want to bar the accused…

…because they are not fit to
take part. It's outrageous!

You will not prevent us stating
the grounds for our decision

You merely reveal your manners

Killer! Your purpose as a judge
is to thin the ranks

Remove Ensslin!

We shan't forger your role here

Your trial of bent witnesses
and false evidence will fail

You can't escape the fact we're
not fit, after 3 years of torture

Remove Meinhof!

Imperialist pig!

You won't be forgotten, you swine!

Your time will come

Now you can have your show trial

The accused are considered unfit
to take part in the proceedings

An accused person
cannot impede a trial…

…by unfitness of his own causing

Try the code for the protection of birds

That is piece of impertinence

So is your handling of this case

The evidence will take a long time

The prosecution has called
997 witnesses and 80 experts

Limiting proceedings to 9 hours per week
would make the trial too long

The accused's hunger strike…

…willfully weakened their health

Shame on you

They may return when fit

Incredible! Incredible!

You destroy the constitutional state

My congratulations!

I was in the officers' mess,
US headquarters in Frankfurt

It went dark and we thought
a storm was brewing

Then a flash, and a shattering sound

The roof and everything caved in

I got out

I saw Col. Bloomquist lying there

He had a lump of glass from the door
in his artery

No one came to help. They were
afraid other bombs would do off

He lay with his face to the right

To the right?

There was blood.. red blood

Yes, blood is usually red

Were you hurt?

No, I was shaken, that's all

An American officer took me
to his flat and tended me

I worked as an ambulance driver
in the US hospital in Heidelberg

I was called to the computer center
at US headquarters

I searched the rubble for survivors

Under a window was a body, still moving

I saw a second body under a Coca Cola
machine… just his foot stuck out

We moved the machine
but the man was dead

I then saw an officer whose body was
torn apart, only the top half left

The other bits were scattered
in the lime trees nearby

The soles of his feet were still on
the ground - not a pretty sight

We took a pillowcase and gathered up
the bits of the body

After the second bomb explosion…

… there was an officer who looked
like he'd been scalped

We bandaged him and took him to hospital

He called himself ''Erwin''.
Now I know he was Holger Meins

Later he brought Jan-Carl Raspe
whom he introduced as ''Lester''

They looked round my metal workshop

Said they needed props for
a film about revolution

They had something like
the top of a hand grenade

And asked if I could make a similar one

I made more objects

Weapons and bombs for the lilm

You're a metal sculptor. Aren't
you interested in films too?

To a certain extent

If you work on a film, don't you
ask questions?

What king of film? Who's involved?

Don't you ever know?

I asked, but ''Erwin'' was evasive

I became uneasy, and said:

''You're mixed up in something.
Count me out, or I'll call the police''

Then ''Erwin'' pulled a gun and said
I was in it up to my neck

One day he brought a man
I now know is Baader

It was a strange scene

He marched info my workshop

He walked round looking at this and that
inspecting everything…

…as if it belonged to him

You dummy-maker!

One more interruption, Raspe,
and you'll be barred.

Later I supplied more bomb casing

-…I withdrew
- Withdrew? That's good

You rattled off your statement…

…like an automatic train…

…as if you knew it by heart

Why is Frau Meinhof familiar with him?

It's up to the witness…

Your statement doesn't interest much

But are you aware that it will be used…

…to portray Andreas
and the media as the boss?

The government wants
the public to believe…

…that Andreas is the one they must
break and ultimately kill…

…so that the urban guerrilla problem
in West Germany will be solved

Question not valid. Personal opinion

you say you were coerced

The group's relations with sympathizers
preclude coercion

Were you forced to work?

Yes, it was like I described.
You know very well

Nearer the microphone, please

I won't tolerate all remarks
being met with laughter

I fail to see anything funny here

Your statement sounds like it's written
by someone working for the police

The wording is by the interrogator.
The witness says when he disagrees

that's incredible. Not his
own words, but a judge's

Did the interrogating officer promise you
a new life in the US?

I don't think I can answer.
For my own safety.

Were you offered…

…financial help, false documents?

Money wasn't mentioned

I can't say yes or no
to the other question

Was a pardon mentioned?

Or clemency?

They spoke of ''voluntary penitence'',
and gave me the law to read

You can't read!

The masks of tiredness.
How sick of them I am

How they have nauseated me.
Forever and everywhere

Murmuring clergymen, boy scouts,
maiden aunts

Scoffing women, youths

Ancient creatures, smothered in make-up

How sick I am of it.
Hinger, simple to know

Am I in a film?

Or am I real: fight!

Statements like the last one are
always obtained the same way

The techniques used are
dependence, exhaustion end fear

The victim becomes totally dependent
on his interrogator

The only person who can help him

The only person he has contact with

Sometimes the interrogator
lends a sympathetic ear

The victim feels indebted to him

Witnesses are not manipulated

Their evidence affords deep insight
into the group's hierarchy

The accused still haven't explained it

It would be an act of courage

Does that super-hypocrite expect,
after 3 years' isolation…

…that we suddenly confess because
a phony witness pops up?

I request Frau Ensslin be parred for abuse

The accused is barred from court
until end February 1976

I support Gudrun's rejection

It's 4 p.m. Can I give
my reasons tomorrow?

No. But you can withdraw.
You're not obliged to stay

'Rejection is a farce.
This court is here to stay

but you…

…pass sentence on yourselves too

Shit! You take us for fools!

Remove that man.

This is unbelievable

More unbelievable is your declaration
of war against the accused

but wars have the Geneva Convention

That protects prisoners against the
calculated destruction of their health…

…for which you blame the
prisoners themselves

I'm warning you

The High Court found
the conditions lawful

The prisoners are dangerous adherents
of the Red Army Faction

Ideological justice!

It's absurd to say we would
disrupt prison order

How? When? Where?

How can we disrupt when in 3 years we've
never even spoken to another inmate?

How can a prisoner in isolation reveal to
the authorities a change in behavior?

How?

In a situation in which all
expression of life is suppressed

The prisoner in isolation has only one
way to express a change of heart

By betrayal

There is no other way

Isolation provides two possibilities

Either they force a prisoner to silence

That is, he dies there

Or, he talks

And that is betrayal

That is torture, clear-cut torture

Forcing confessions by means of isolation

Punishing and confusing the prisoner

You are out of order

Next witness!

You occupied a cell next to the witness
accused ot making bombs?

Yes, I asked him why he was
making a confession.

He said they threatened to charge him
with conspiracy to murder

but if he gave evidence, they'd help him
start a new life in the US

- Why are you in jail?
- Politics

We have no political prisoners

What's your offense?

Waging war against
capitalist exploitation

By what means?

That's how you coerce your witnesses

Herr Baader is barred from proceedings

You have to reply

I don't

Yes, you do

Ridiculous!

Quiet!

Don't shout!

Stop playing the clown

The consequences for…

Stick your consequences up your ass

Silence! Or I'll clear the court

I sentence you to 3 days punishment

Know what being on oath means?

I don't swear oaths.
You believe me or you don't

You refuse to take the oath?

On principle

- There's a 1,000 mark fine
-Cash?

According to Clause 61…

…oaths are waived if the accused agree

The accused are not all present

Bring Baader

Can we waive the oath?

Couldn't care less. They're your rules

Yes or no?

This is a farce!

-Do you waive it? Yes or no?
- I already did

Frau Ensslin?

Don't give a damn

Of course I waive it

Me too

I also bring a plea to reject this court…

…because of the way you
throw Andreas out…

…then bring him in but
don't let him speak

- It's grotesque
- Witness dismissed

- I wish to speak
- Remove the witness!

I wish to state why I am
a political prisoner

I'll smash you, you pigs!

Like that sort of thing, don't you?

Do you wish to justify your rejection?

The court knows, because you
bug our conversations…

…that we intend to set this
case straight politically

This case, the peak of political justice…

…is just plain Fascist

- It's capitalist politics
- Out of order!

This scene reveals the total
brutality of this machine

I'll read what Ulrike wanted to say
but was not allowed to

To say my strained relations with you…

…come from my lack of
revolutionary force…

…was shameful, considering
what I'm going through

My Fascist conditioning,
through sadism and religion…

…caught up with me because L never
broke my links wit the ruling class

I crawled to the Red Army Faction
as I did to he bourgeoisie

Treating you like cops means
having been a pig myself

A hypocritical swine from
the ruling classes

We knew the Springer building…

…had been surrounded by students…

…and we'd been prevented
from going to work

It was blocked off

We had to put up with their abuse

But putting a bomb there?

No one could've believed that

Were you hurt?

Yes, a bruised chest

And your workmates?

Yes. Broken ribs, cuts, lacerations,
impaired hearing…

It's a wonder no one was killed

You're an editor with Springer Press?

I was in a meeting when it went off

It was one of 5 bombs -
not all of them exploded

Most people fled.
But journalists are inquisitive

We stood chatting, when suddenly
there was a bang, ant it went dark

I looked round at the wounded

I was amazed they'd hit at proofreaders

They are usually left-wing

If they'd hit the computer center.
They'd have damaged Springer more

Terrorism is the
destruction of facilities…

…dykes, reservoirs, hospitals…

…power stations…

All those have been bombed by
the US in Vietnam since 1964

Terrorism intimidates the masses.
Urban guerrillas only threaten the state

I cannot accept irrelevant arguments

You want to stop us saying
anything at all

Frau Meinhof, go on

Urban guerrilla actions are
not aimed at the people

They combat the terrorism
of the imperialist state

Enough!

You're a washout

Turn Baader's microphone off

Master of microphones, not of this court

This is not a normal case

It's a clash between the bourgeois
capitalist state and its radical opponents

Dr. Horst Herold, President of the
Criminal Investigation Bureau, said:

''Is terrorism in Germany and the world
the brainchild of a Baader or a Meinhof?

''The sick brain as many see it

''Or does terrorism…

…stem from the economic situation
in the Western world?

''Does it merely reflect a problem?

''The crucial question is:
who fights terrorism?

''Police or politicians?

''I say this with reluctance

''but the tendency is to introduce
special international laws''

For 5 years, Herold used us as
an excuse to extend his apparatus

He wants international anti-guerrilla
laws for his own ends

He says:''I am the man to wage this war

''Give me the apparatus, the money

''And above all, the political power''

Herold advocates the police state-
the height of reaction

While our judge here keeps
banging away at us

What's the matter with her?

Who are you kidding?

You hate us

There are plenty of signs

It shows in your passivity,
withdrawal…

…bad grammar, destructiveness,
misunderstanding, etc. …

I've no time for that type
of self-criticism

Pull yourself together or go to hell!

You undermine us—even the law can't

It's not mystical to say I can't go on

I can't stand feeling so defenseless

Lots goes on in my head, I say nothing

but I could scream at your malice

It's as if there's a deal I'm no part of

I keep quiet while Gudrun lies

Paranoia. You pig!

How can I pull myself together…

…when her image of me is a pig?

Two total lunatics!

The accused do not deny Red Army
Faction political responsibility…

…for attacks on US Army
installations in West Germany

That is not, however, a statement
if individual responsibility

We wish to call the following witnesses;

Former US President Richard M. Nixon

Former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird

Ex-Chief of Staff,
US Forces in Vietnam…

The witnesses will testify that they…

…willfully killed
a great many Vietnamese…

…and inflicted suffering on others…

How low would you stoop
to eradicate baseness?

To change the world, to what
lengths would you go?

It is terrible to kill

Not only others… we kill ourselves

This lethal world must
be changed by force

Everyone knows that

We accept these charges.
In part we conceived them

But our politics are not
bound by state laws

Condemning revolutionary politics…

…only shows the system is a lie

I rule you out of order

These charges reveal that
the purpose of this trial is…

…control of the state by US capital

The petitions are of course futile

In fact, compared to this trial…

…a Fascist court martial at least has
the courage of its convictions

We shall also call…

…two former US secret agents…

..to testify that the computer at
US headquarters, Heidelberg…

…was used to plot the aerial bombing…

..of civilian areas of South Vietnam…

…and the bombing
of dykes in North Vietnam

The aim was to achieve the maximum
number of civilian deaths

The accused are not interested
in establishing the truth

They want to use this trial for
agitation and self- glorification

If evidence shows West German territory
was used to abet US war crimes…

…thes West Germany itself is contravening
international law

Imagine a bomb attack on the Security
Headquarters of the Third Reich

Imagine a trial conducted against
those accused of planting the bomb

Would you refuse to allow
evidence which showed…

…that the decisions to exterminate
Jewish fellow-citizens…

…were coordinated
in that establishment?

Every lawyer knows that in
certain circumstances…

…there is a legal right of
''justifiable defense''…

…even when it leads to loss of life

There is no such right that
would justify these attacks

But the images are the same

Jewish children walking towards the
SS men who destroyed the ghetto

And Vietnamese children burned by napalm
running towards the photographer

The evidence hinges on this

Does one tolerate such acts of murder?

Or is one justified in taking action against
the mechanism which allows it?

The Vietnam war is irrelevant here

Within the jurisdiction of our law…

…''justifiable defense''
notwithstanding…

What's the difference between
our heads and hands…

…and American bombers in Vietnam?

Pity we weren't more effective militarily

We attacked the CIA headquarters…

… the 5th Army Corps HQ in Frankfurt

…and the US Army HQ in Heidelberg

We joined the Red Army Faction in 1970…

…and adhered to its politics
and its structure

So we are also politically responsible
for commando raids…

…such as the Springer bombing…

…which we did not make part in,
and which we reject

109th day of the trial

The trial will proceed of
Baader, Ensslin and Raspe

Frau Meinhof's death closes her case

Some members of the public did not rise

May I remind you that provocations
of this type…

…will mean your removal
from the courtroom

Proceed with your cross-examination

I request a 10-day adjournment

Ulrike Meinhof's death
creates a new situation

It's not a legal point. Common decency
demands an adjournment

I just want to say that we believe
Ulrike was executed

We don't know how.
But we know by whom, and why

A cold act of execution

The court will not tolerate contempt

It Ulrike had chosen to die…

…as the one way of preserving
her revolutionary identity…

…she would certainly have told us -
Andreas at least

No memorial speeches, please

Do you wish to bring a charge?

I'll be brief

To what purpose?

- Let me finish
- Do you intend bringing a charge?

Hurry, or you can't proceed

I support the request for adjournment

Why not say that before? Proceed

Sadist!

You interrupt to confuse him

Is was a brother/sister relationship,
based on political ideals

She was free; freedom only exists
in the struggle for liberation

To say there were tensions
between Ulrike and Andreas…

…and use Ulrike's death
in your psychological warfare…

…shows how stupid you are!

Out of order

Oh yes, your sadism, your methods…

You're a killer!

Yes, you are. Under your presidency
of this court…

…3 out 5 prisoners have been killed

And when we denounce the machine
you so sadistically represent…

…you stop us speaking

You've no right to speak for Raspe

In the public's eyes, the name
of Ulrike Meinhof…

…is associated with high
standards of morality

It's therefore worth reflecting…

…that her death occurred when the defense
introduced a political element

It's hard for me to say anything

We shouldn't speak to you at all now

It is time to act

- Antagonism between state and…
- Out of order

You stop me speaking?

Yes, if it's not a submission

Not in front of this horde of rats

Contempt of court

A person deprived of freedom…

…has employed the profound,
puzzling freedom of suicide

That's reason enough to suspend
the proceedings of this court

The situation needs to be clarified

A sense of piety should make it
impossible to proceed…

…until the deceased is laid to rest

There's no reason to grant the request

There is no provision for adjournment
on the death of an accused

It the funeral occurs on a day
the court is sitting…

… the prosecution does not object
to an afternoon start

Plea to suspend proceedings denied

The defense will not proceed until
after Ulrike Meinhof's funeral

Your behavior here allows
no relationship with you…

…other than waiting for you with a gun

She did not have the mental and
emotional make-up of a true terrorist

She was often no more than a tool

Her name was used to
influence certain people

But it's wrong to think
she was just a victim

What happened in Frankfurt exactly?

Ulrike Meinhof came to Frankfurt

She suggested attacking the
Springer building in Hamburg

She was responsible for planning
and organization

She was given bombs

Afterwards the rest of the group
criticized her. Why?

Because workers were injured as a result

Wasn't that to be expected
in an action like that?

Yes, people were targets as well

Baader complained that
print workers were hurt

Really licking asses now, you pig

Was there any kind of hierarchy?

A natural pecking order, so to speak

Yes. Baader was the brains at the top

Then there was the nucleus of
Meinhof, Meins, Raspe, Ensslin

Then same rank-and-file members,
and fringe members

You climbed the ladder

How were you to react…

…if threatened with capture?

We had instructions to shoot

Carrying guns was idealized,
the image of the true guerrilla

Anyone involved in a shootout
was idolized

Anyone killed or injured
was treated like a martyr

Members would stand in front of mirrors
drawing guns

Where were you in October 1971?

Kiel and Hamburg

know the Saseler Damm in Hamburg?

Saseler Damm, you mean

So you know the car park
behind the shopping center?

That's going too far

You needn't incriminate yourself

Where were you…

…on 21st October 1971?

The microphone's off

The questions obviously refer to the
murder of the policeman Schmid

The case is still on progress.
I don't wish to comment

But I didn't shoot the policeman

I won't answer further questions on this

Did you shoot PC Schmid?

He said no

If you didn't, who did?

I refuse to reply

When others accused you,
did you say you were proud?

- Proud you shot a pig?
- Disgraceful!

- Ever held a gun?
- No reply

Ever talk about Schmid?

No comment

In this case I find refusal to reply
unjustified

It's justified

Is your evidence…

…contained in files 3 ARP 74/75,
held by the Public Prosecutor?

What are they?

Was a decision about these lives…

…taken by the Ministry of Justice?

- Do you recall?
- I heard something of the kind

The Ministry refuses to release these files

Do they contain your statement?

It's possible

How would your statement damage
West Germany if it were made public?

What do you mean?

Part of your statement has
been declared ''secret''

That's not a proper question. Invalid

Did your interrogators in Bonn…

…threaten you?
- Yes

They said if I didn't talk
I'd be tried, like the others

That scared you?

I protest against the insinuation…

…that the witness was bought off ot
brainwashed by the West German authorities

The witness may also be guilty,
but I find him credible

Saul converted to Paul too

In a constitutional state which
believes in rehabilitation…

…this should be recognized

Anyone who succeeds in breaking free
from a criminal group…

…deserves understanding, even respect

It's noticeable that the accused
have not confronted the witnesses

They have chosen not to appear
in court on the days…

…that the victims of the 6 bomb
explosions gave evidence

We thank the Chief Public Prosecutor
for being present

Did the investigating officers…

…promise the witness special treatment
for making his statement?

The Public Prosecutor's Office has
already replied to this question

I declare that none of the persons named
was promised any form of favor…

…nor threatened with any penalty…

…nor was any influence exerted on
the contend of their statements

Do you know of file ARP 74/75?

Of course I know of its existence

And the contents?

I'm not permitted to answer

Does it contain the interrogation…

- …of the last witness?
- I can't say

You ordered it classified?

I suggested it

There's a blueprint to integrate
internal and external security

It will create a central
counter-insurgency apparatus…

…which be integrated with NATO,
and based in West Germany…

…because parliamentary
opposition is unlikely

Irrelevant to the presence of this witness

You are digressing

They're his initiatives

London Institute for Conflict Studies:
how to combat terrorism

What concerns us here are the
murder charges against you

The military/strategic background
concerns me

So do the peculiarities of this trial,
and the elimination of prisoners

I should rule you out of order for that

Special court, judges, building

You're not here to make a case
against the witness

Ask questions, nothing else

Okay! I'll ask him if he know
these directives

1. Infiltrate terrorist organizations

2. Locate terrorist headquarters

3. Eliminate leaders

Irrelevant to the charges against you

Whatever you think, the Public Prosecutor
does not initiate such measures

Out of order

Do you know of NATO
papers advocating…

…military action against the
Red Army Faction?

Inadmissible

I renew my rejection of this court

Dismissing this question proves you
want to label the Red Army Faction…

…a purely ''criminal alliance''…

- And not a political…
- Anyone else?

It's futile, but I second the rejection

The propaganda element is obvious:

a campaign to exterminate the accused

Here the law is a facade…

…for the elimination of undesirables

Out of order

Did you know the authorities
spread the rumor…

…that the Red Army Faction
has nuclear devices?

I read something to the effect

Where?

In the papers

Did you investigate the report?

It may have been discussed

To what effect?

I don't know any derails to date

Who discussed it?

I can't remember

When was it discussed?

I don't remember that either

Isn't it too unusual to forget?

No, I don't think so

You mean it's common…

…to discover that certain groups
have nuclear devices?

The Public Prosecutor's Office
deals with criminal prosecution

That includes investigation

Yes, of course

So, ins't activity involving
nuclear devices…

…of such vital interest…

…that your memory shouldn't
fade so quickly?

I repeat, this is irrelevant to the case

We're assuming quality and quality…

… of Red Army Faction operations

If information concerning nuclear
devices plays a role…

…then the question is relevant

Is anyone accused of possessing
nuclear devices?

- No, they aren't
- Exactly

Keep to the accusation

Not everything comes under
Clause 129 - ''criminal alliance''

Otherwise, a question like…

… ''Did you know the Red Army Faction
kills babies?''…

…would also be valid

Is that the kind of thing you thins of?

The only reason we are here
after Ulrike's death…

…is to explain the true
structure of our group…

…not the one invented by the witness
as psychological warfare

Strategy was decided collectively
by discussion

The allegation that Ulrike bombed the
Springer building on her own initiative…

…or that there was in-fighting
as that pig says..

Please refrain from abusing witnesses

After the Springer operation, Ulrike
went to face her critics in Hamburg

They said her plan did not foresee…

…Springer's refusal to clear the building

This talk of tension…

…attempts to legitimate her murder

This murder accusation will
lead to disciplinary measures

I could't care less

Did people leave the group? If so, how?

Of course people left

In the liberation struggle,
conflicts always arise

Some people want out, though it's not
really possible once you've fought

You just step back info the dirt

But, of course, people left

There was never talk of reprisals, though

Only that case in Berlin

But that woman betrayed several people.
She gave names, and addresses

She got a bucket of tar over her,
and a sign around her neck:

''This informer's in league
wit the killer pigs''

When a police informer gets nothing
but a bucket of tat over her…

…it's absurd to say that people
who leave are shot

During the hunger strike…

…was pressure applied not to break it?

No, it was an individual's decision…

…whether he wanted to give up
the struggle and live

When I came here, I had only
one thing in mind: resistance

Not only because it was
important politically

But also because I needed it
to preserve my identity

Soom there was only one question: how?

I nearly went out of my mind
trying to answer it

Give me another one

- You began the hunger strike?
- Yes

- Then you broke it off?
- Yes

Why did you start again?

It was a clear decision

I just didn't take it immediately

Breaking it off like that was
the result of being isolated

We'd been in isolation for 3 years

Why did you start again?

It was an existential decision, dammit.
Can't you understand?

Was it you own decision?

Of course

Naturally the group said:
''Hey, start again''

And Holger Meins wrote to me saying:

''If you shit your pants, wash them''

Pretty strong stuff

That was the group

The letter helped a lot.
I didn't feel so lost

Your own free will…

No! The Public Prosecutor is
determined to destroy us

That's not free will

We had 2 choices: keep fighting,
ot be manipulated…

..like your chief witness

After Holger was murdered,
they tried to break me…

…but they backed the wrong horse

In a letter to Baader, you wrote:

''You threaten me just like a cop

''Haing myself, you say.
Nothing new it that''

At another point:

''You can't expect any more from us…

''…unless it's an order

''Ok, I obeyed the order and
began the hunger strike again''

Still say there was no pressure?

Of course

You imply it's the witness's letter

- Your writing?
- Yes

As I said, the hunger strike
was part of the struggle…

…a last-ditch stand, an
existential decision…

…between life and death,
as in any armed action

For a revolutionary, life's not
the most precious thing

The choices were; hanging oneself…

We are not concerned with
hanging, but with…

That's the worst penalty

Do you still say pressure
was not applied?

Yes, I do

Fine, that's all

Can I only say yes or no?

Being told to hang oneself
is the toughest sanction

So there were sanctions?

No! The problem is you imply
an authoritarian structure!

I told you I had completely flipped

I lost contact. I wouldn't have stopped
the hunger strike otherwise

The whole letter is muddled ideas

I forget that, although I'd stopped
the hunger strike..

…I could resume the fight any time

Another bit of self-criticism?

You fool! What do you know of
criticism ot self-criticism?

It's absurd!

- Further questions? None
- I haven't finished

This is for Ulrike, you pig!

Open the door!

What's up?

Better get a quick transfer. You too!

We won't accept closed doors
at recreation time

Leave the door open, pig

They've gone mad

Open the door!

You insinuated I was in there for a screw.

They want war? They'll get it

It the name of the accused
Ensslin I request…

…removal of the presiding judge

61st plea against bias

He has ordered more stringent conditions

Recreation periods on the 7th floor
have been suspended

These stringent conditions…

…contravene the minimum standards
set out in the medical reports

Baader is obviously afraid of
losing his position as boss

Why else would a prisoner who
has hitherto remained aloof…

…suddenly attack a warder?

All I can say about the prisoner's health is:

See what a person…

…allegedly tortured by isolation…

…is capable of

Prison conditions are generous.
Ensslin is allowed to play the violin

Given Frau Ensslin's position…

…describing a little violin practice
as generous conditions…

…is a degree of cynicism..

…I wouldn't have believed possible

This woman has spent over 4 years
in group isolation…

…which Amnesty International lists…

…as a clear from of torture

But you lack the sensitivity to imagine it

The plea to reject this court dismissed

This is from a High Court judge
to the editor of Die Welt

''Dear fraternity member…

''Please destroy these documents ofter use

''No need to send me a copy
of Die Welt. I subscribe''

And where did the judge
get the trial documents?

From our presiding judge. That means..

Ach, a new dodge by your lawyers.
What's the point?

In the name of the accused Ensslin…

62nd!

…I reject the presiding judge
on grounds of bias

Unbeknownst to fellow judges…

…he gave trial documents (including
verbatim evidence) to a third person…

…that is to Judge Mayer,
of the Court Appeal

That Court of Appeal…

…will be responsible for any
appeal against the sentence…

…which you, Your Honor, pass

The High Court judge gave these
documents to the editor of Die Welt

I support the plea to reject this court

The grounds for this plea need clarifying

If not, the trial will be permanently flawed

Forgive me phoning you privately

Your Honor?

I know your decision today
was not easy, but…

Your Honor, I don't really think…

Your challenge was my worst moment
in the whole 2 years

Your Honor, I…

It makes a difference if a challenge
comes from your side of the defense

But from the accused's point of view,
any appeal is now futile

Two members in the High Court
have collaborated…

…to secure an appeal-proof verdict

The accused don't care.
Only the lawyers

That's hard to imagine in their position

I know for certain that the accused
couldn't care less

The warders told me this document thing
doesn't interest them

One even said: '' A new dodge
by your lawyers''

Imagine the terrible strain I'm under

I'm finished if I don't stick it out

I warn that if you show
disrespect for the court…

..,you will be barred from proceedings

The court is now in session

Baader rejects the presiding judge…

63rd!

…on the grounds that he contacted
a defense lawyer outside this court

During their conversation, he said…

…it makes a difference whether
a plea of rejection…

..comes from this side
of the defense ot that

The presiding judge is guilty
of bias once again

The court will reconvene at 10 a.m.

A decision will be announced then

The plea of rejection is sustained

The court will retire to reconsider
the course of the trial

The trial will proceed

You wish to make a submission

I wish to call the Interior Minister
to explain…

…and between the accused
and defense counsel..

…have been illicitly recorded…

…and made available to security forces

In his attempt to attract publicity…

…counsel is confusing a plea
to hear evidence…

with a plea to institute investigations

The accusations are inventions.
Calling this witness is not justified

I beg you to avoid pointed
and defamatory remarks

It is alleged that bugging devices…

…were employed to spy on the accused

Prosecution may surely use such terms

The court will look the matter

I wish to clarify that in Stammheim…

…in two cases of emergency…

…warranted by Clause 3
of the Penal Code…

…we listened to conversations…

…between defense counsel
and the Baader-Meinhof gang

The grounds for the decision,
taken jointly…

…to listen in to Baader-Meinhof
leaders and their lawyers…

…was to avert a concrete danger…

…which could not otherwise
have been averted…

…to the lives of innocent

The prosecution has the nerve
to talk of propaganda ruses

What is happening is this trial
can only be described…

…as the systematic destruction
of constitutional guarantees

This is of vital importance to the nation

The case must be adjourned until
the bugging has been explained

I support the submission

If a room provided for the defense
is bugged, counsel cannot use it

Both the Justice Minister…

…and Interior Minister…

…said they would do the same again
in a similar situation

The court must say how it will
prevent further bugging

It must adjourn until such time

None of the prosecuting counsel
knew of these actions

A statement will be made when we have…

…full knowledge of the facts

The trial will proceed with…

I withdraw in protest

As you wish

Our continued presence would
merely legitimate this morass

There is a strong suspicion…

…that this trial and this prison
are run by a criminal alliance

I too am unable to continue.
I beg the court to respect my decision

- You wish to speak?
- A submission

I submit that Brandt and Schmidt
be called, as heads of government

They can testify that since 1972 the
Red Army Faction has been persecuted…

…in an illegal and unconstitutional manner

all right, out with it!

We wish to call the Interior Minister…

…to clarify whether the accused's
cells were bugged

We also call the Chancellor's office…

…to testify that bugging was carried out…

…by the Intelligence Service on the
7th floor of Stammheim prison…

…and that they had continued
uncontrolled access to this area

At the outset of the trial, we said
our conversations were bugged

The prosecution denied it…

…hypocritically, and with a
great show of indignation

But it's absurd to
think they did not know

After Ulrike's murder, the prosecution…

The prosecution also innocent
until proved guilty

- I didn't specify a person
- You said murder

Behind a murder is a murderer.
Otherwise it is merely a death

After Ulrike's death, the prosecution
spoke of tension between prisoners

How did they know, if not by bugging?

We were utterly ignorant of
this whole bugging affair

I wish to state the aims of the
hunger strike we begin today

No speaking of prison conditions
during the trial

It is obvious that political statements
are now superfluous

Accused and defense counsel
did not attend court again

On April 28th, 1977, the
192nd day of the trial…

…Baader, Ensslin and Raspe were
sentenced to life imprisonment

The Red Army Faction kidnapped
Hans Martin Schleyer…

…to force the prisoners's release

The government refused any exchange

Hijacking a Lufthansa jet ended with
the storming of the plane in Mogadishu

The next day, Baader, Ensslin and Raspe
were found dead in their cells

The state prosecutor's verdict was suicide