Rote Hilfe e.V.

Rote Hilfe information booth in Hanover (2013)

Rote Hilfe e.V. ("Red Aid," abbreviated RH)[1] is a German far-left prisoner support group. RH was founded in 1975, although localized groups calling themselves "Rote Hilfe" had begun to appear at the end of the 1960s.[2][3] The group views itself as a successor to the Weimar-era Rote Hilfe. In the 1970s, it worked on behalf of Red Army Faction prisoners, and a few RH members went on to join the RAF or similar groups (e.g., Angelika Speitel and Hans-Joachim Klein).[4][5] Today half of Rote Hilfe's budget is spent paying the legal fees, fines, and expenses of left-wing prisoners.[3] It also publishes a quarterly journal, Die Rote Hilfe ("Red Aid"), and other publications, organizes events, etc.[3] The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution considers it a "left-wing extremist" organization.[3] RH is headquartered in Göttingen and, as of 2008, had about 5,000 members.[6]

  1. ^ "e.V." is an abbreviation for "eingetragener Verein," or "registered association."
  2. ^ Aust, Stefan, The Baader-Meinhof complex Translated by Anthea Bell (1987), Random House Group, Ltd., pp. 189. ISBN 978-1-84792-045-4. Retrieved July 1, 2010
  3. ^ a b c d 2008 Annual Report on the Protection of the Constitution (PDF) Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany. pp. 159-161 Retrieved July 1, 2010
  4. ^ Aust 219
  5. ^ Burleigh, Michael (2008). Blood and Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism. HarperPress. p. 244.
  6. ^ "Juso-Chefin verlässt 'Rote Hilfe'" Der Spiegel (December 1, 2007). Retrieved July 1, 2010 (in German)