Tommy Weissbecker
Thomas Weissbecker (or Weisbecker), known as Tommy (1949–1972), was a German leftwing militant shot dead by police at the age of 23. He was involved with the
Life
Thomas Weissbecker was born in 1949 in Freiburg, then lived in Karlsruhe and Kiel. His father Ludwig Weisbecker was a professor of medicine at Kiel University who had been interned at Buchenwald concentration camp. Weissbecker studied in Karlsruhe and then Frankfurt, where he became involved in leftwing activism. In order to avoid conscription in Germany, he moved to West Berlin, where he joined the Haschrebellen and the Tupamaros West-Berlin.[1][2]
In July 1971, Weissbecker stood trial alongside Bommi Baumann and Georg von Rauch for attacking the Quick magazine journalist Horst Rieck. Von Rauch was to be held in detention and Baumann and Weissbecker were released on bail; von Rauch pretended to be Weissbecker so Baumann and himself were released, then Weissbecker revealed who he actually was and was also released.[3] The three men went underground and this marked the beginning of the militant leftwing group the 2 June Movement. Weissbecker also joined the Red Army Faction.[3]
Weissbecker moved to Augsburg and rented an apartment, whilst the police rented the apartment above and put him under surveillance. On 2 March 1972, he left his home with
See also
Notes
- ^ "Mai 1972: Terror in Augsburg". Jüdisch Historischer Verein Augsburg. 3 May 2012. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ a b Moncourt & Smith (2009).
- ^ a b Moncourt & Smith (2013), pp. 367.
- ^ Tudge, Robin (9 July 2013). "Letter from Germany: Tommy's house". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
Sources
- Moncourt, André; Smith, J. (2009). The Red Army Faction, a Documentary History: Volume 1 – Projectiles for the People (eBook ed.). PM Press. ISBN 978-1-60486-029-0.
- Moncourt, André; Smith, J. (2013). The Red Army Faction: Volume 2 - Dancing with imperialism. Montreal, Quebec: Kersplebedeb. ISBN 978-1-60486-030-6.
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