Rooted in the German student movement of the late 1960s, the Baader Meinhof Group or the Red Army Faction turned to terrorism in the early ‘70s to fight against perceived imperialism and the lingering spectre of the Nazis. Stefan Aust, former editor of Der Spiegel and one of Germany’s most respected journalists, co-wrote the controversial new film The Baader Meinhof Complex and the book of the same name. He talks about the enduring significance of Baader Meinhof and our continued fascination with their campaign with Macquarie University’s Martina Mollering.
STEFAN AUST (INTERNATIONAL) STEFAN AUST was the editor of Der Spiegel from 1994 to 2008. He worked with Ulrike Meinhof on the left-wing publication Konkret in the late Sixties. The film, The Baader Meinhof Complex, is based on his book. Released in the UK last November, the film is produced by Bernd Eichinger (Downfall) and stars cast members from the Academy Award-winning The Lives of Others.
Stefan Aust’s participation in SWF is supported by the Goethe-Institut Sydney.
MARTINA MOLLERING (LOCAL) MARTINA MOLLERING is head of the Department of International Studies at Macquarie University and professor of European Languages. She is the co-editor of From Migrant to Citizen: Testing Language, Testing Culture, a forthcoming text, as well as a volume of articles on the controversial topic of citizenship testing in Australia and Europe.