Whatever happens to old revolutionaries?
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| Red Army Faction Being Hunted Anew |
Well they can of course become el Presidente if they win (See Cuba). Or they can become el Presidente if they join the democratic side (See Uruguay).
But in the case of the old Red Army Faction (aka the Baader-Meinhof gang) of West Germany you can simply become armed robbers. With the "urban guerilla project" declared as ended in 1998 (they had lost their struggle in the 80's), they apparently 'retired'. Uncaught, but no longer active and that was assumed to be that ....
But in the case of the old Red Army Faction (aka the Baader-Meinhof gang) of West Germany you can simply become armed robbers. With the "urban guerilla project" declared as ended in 1998 (they had lost their struggle in the 80's), they apparently 'retired'. Uncaught, but no longer active and that was assumed to be that ....
However pension plans amongst revolutionary movements are apparently very poor. So it's perhaps no surprise that last June shots were fired in a Bremen supermarket car park, an armoured car stopped, but the three bandits were unable to open its doors. They fled in a ford focus .....
The elderly raiders were identified from the fingerprints they left both at the scene and on the getaway car (sloppy in itself), and the DNA gleaned was shown to be from three ex-RAF faction members (Burkhard Garweg, Daniela Klette and Ernst-Volker Staub). Two of whom are in their late 50's, and believed to have few funds to live off. This is apparently the second such raid by these three ... although the last was way back in 1999.
Old Revolutionaries apparently don't fade away, they turn into the common criminals they often were.
UPDATE:
Apparently the three are still free and have upped the anti with German police now saying that they are responsible for a string of at least nine robberies between 2011 and 2017, including robbing an armoured car with a bazooka (lessons having been apparently learnt from the earlier failure). The robberies weren't immediately linked until DNA and forensics linked them.
They have netted hundreds of thousands of Euros, but as paying for assistance to stay undercover is not cheap, they will likely strike again. Its believed that they netted $700,000 1999, and a further $500,000 between 2011 and 2016 ... but the Lower Saxony state’s interior minister, Boris Pistorius feels “It’s just a question of time until we catch them,” who warned they are still extremely dangerous, and should be considered anything but amateurs. “I feel we’re getting closer and closer all the time.”
You missed out a bunch of old revolutionaries nearer to home. Corbyn, Abbot, et al.
ReplyDeleteYour on the button there and I admit that I never thought of that angle. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteIn the USA the 1818 Revolutionary War Pension Act combined the features of a pension plan and welfare benefits for former revolutionaries from the War of Independence. So at least there was a plan for old revolutionaries.
ReplyDeleteHi Tanner. I am put in my place. There are obviously retirement plans for old revolutionaries (when they win). Cuba no doubt has something similar. Thanks for the pertinent comment.
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