Martin Schleyer Assassinated (1977)

Tue Oct 18, 1977

Image

Image: Schleyer holding a sign that says “SEIT 20 TAGEN” with an RAF logo in the background [dw.org]

Hanns Martin Schleyer was a German member of the SS, business executive, and employer and industry representative who was assassinated by the Red Army Faction (RAF) on this day in 1977. Schleyer’s conservative anti-communist views, anti-union activities, and his past as a former SS officer made him a target for radical elements of the German student movement in the 1970s.

On September 5th, 1977, the RAF (a West German, far-left militant organization) kidnapped Schleyer in an attempt to force the West German government to release Andreas Baader and three other RAF members. The government steadfastly refused to negotiate with the RAF, and after discovering that three RAF members were killed in prison, his kidnappers executed Schleyer in a car en route to France on October 18th, 1977.