Abstract

On April 11, 1968, Josef Bachmann, a 23-year-old unskilled laborer and member of a right-wing political party, approached Rudi Dutschke on West Berlin's Kurfürstendamm and, after confirming his identity, shot him three times in the head and chest. Dutschke suffered life-threatening brain injuries and barely survived. After the assassination attempt, which took place on Holy Thursday, demonstrators came together in Frankfurt's Römerberg Square for the traditional Easter March for peace. The demonstration took on additional meaning in the wake of the attack.

A Demonstration Following the Attempted Assassination of Rudi Dutschke (April 1968)

Abisag Tüllmann

Source

Source: After the assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke: Easter marchers on Römerberg on Easter Sunday. Note on the back in photographer’s own handwriting: Römer, Ostermarschierer, April 1968. Photo: Abisag Tüllmann.
bpk-Bildagentur, image number 70242775. For rights inquiries, please contact Art Resource at requests@artres.com (North America) or bpk-Bildagentur at kontakt@bpk-bildagentur.de (for all other countries).

Recommended Citation

A Demonstration Following the Attempted Assassination of Rudi Dutschke (April 1968), published in: German History in Documents and Images, <https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/two-germanies-1961-1989/ghdi:image-629> [September 24, 2026].