Holger Meins
Encyclopedia
Holger Klaus Meins was a German
cinematography
student who joined the Red Army Faction
(RAF) in the early 1970s and died on hunger strike
in prison.
On 1 June 1972, Meins and Andreas Baader
along with Jan Carl Raspe went to check on a storage garage in Frankfurt
where they kept materials for making bombs. However the police had got a tip-off and were waiting for them. Meins and Baader entered the garage and were immediately surrounded. The police blocked the exit of the garage and fired tear gas grenades into the garage via a back window, however Baader simply threw the tear gas back out. The stand off didn't last long as Baader was shot in the leg and Meins surrendered soon after. Both men were arrested, as was Raspe.
In prison Meins and the RAF-convicts launched several hunger strike
s against the prison authorities. Meins died by self-induced
starvation
on hunger strike November 9, 1974.
Over six feet tall, Meins weighed less than 86 pounds (39 kg) at the time of his death. It was believed no outside doctors were allowed in to check on Meins during the hunger strike, even though the prison doctors had recommended that he should have been transported to Intensive Care.
's chauffeur for his meeting with Andreas Baader
and later a terrorist also, Hans-Joachim Klein
claimed to keep a picture of Holger Meins’ autopsy photo on him to reinforce his hatred for the West German “fascist” system.
The RAF members who executed the West German embassy siege in Stockholm
in 1975 named their group in his honour.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
student who joined the Red Army Faction
Red Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
(RAF) in the early 1970s and died on hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
in prison.
As a Revolutionary
Meins became an important member of the RAF and was seen somewhat as a leading figure. He was very involved in the gang workings and even had a grenade casing and bomb mould designed which could be placed under a woman's dress, giving the impression that she was pregnant, thereby facilitating the planting of bombs.On 1 June 1972, Meins and Andreas Baader
Andreas Baader
Andreas Bernd Baader was one of the first leaders of the German left-wing militant organization Red Army Faction, also commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang.- Life :...
along with Jan Carl Raspe went to check on a storage garage in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
where they kept materials for making bombs. However the police had got a tip-off and were waiting for them. Meins and Baader entered the garage and were immediately surrounded. The police blocked the exit of the garage and fired tear gas grenades into the garage via a back window, however Baader simply threw the tear gas back out. The stand off didn't last long as Baader was shot in the leg and Meins surrendered soon after. Both men were arrested, as was Raspe.
In prison Meins and the RAF-convicts launched several hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
s against the prison authorities. Meins died by self-induced
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
starvation
Starvation
Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death...
on hunger strike November 9, 1974.
Over six feet tall, Meins weighed less than 86 pounds (39 kg) at the time of his death. It was believed no outside doctors were allowed in to check on Meins during the hunger strike, even though the prison doctors had recommended that he should have been transported to Intensive Care.
Aftermath
Meins' death sparked many protest marches across Europe, with many turning violent. It caused further hatred from the RAF's members. Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
's chauffeur for his meeting with Andreas Baader
Andreas Baader
Andreas Bernd Baader was one of the first leaders of the German left-wing militant organization Red Army Faction, also commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang.- Life :...
and later a terrorist also, Hans-Joachim Klein
Hans-Joachim Klein
Hans-Joachim Klein is a former member of the German left-wing militant group Revolutionary Cells . In 1975 Klein participated in an attack on OPEC headquarters in Vienna organized by Carlos the Jackal, in which he was seriously injured. He publicly renounced political violence two years later...
claimed to keep a picture of Holger Meins’ autopsy photo on him to reinforce his hatred for the West German “fascist” system.
The RAF members who executed the West German embassy siege in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1975 named their group in his honour.