MARCH OCTOBER 2]
West Berlin
A massive demonstration of 20,000 persons assembled here October 21 to protest U.S. aggression in Vietnam. Timed to coincide with the demonstration in Washington, this was by far the largest and most militant antiwar action that has taken place in this city.
The demonstration began with a march down the Kurftirstendamm, Berlin's famous street, where demonstrations are usually prohibited.
Following the march a mass rally was held at Wittenbergplatz, in front of West Berlin's town hall. A number of speakers addressed the crowd.
The official slogans of the demonstration were "Stop the war in Vietnam"; "Yankees, get out of Vietnam"; and "Let Vietnam live."
In addition, the Berlin SDS [Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund -- Association of Socialist Students of Germany] brought hundreds of posters with Che Guevara's picture and the slogan, "Create two, three...many Vietnams!"
The demonstration was visibly divided between the peace organizations and the West Berlin Communist party on one side and the students on the other. The students were especially militant and angry because of the death of Che.
The students remained orderly through the march and rally. Then, as the rally ended, 2,000 returned to the Kurfurstendamm where they sat down in the middle of the street, blocking traffic in the heart of Berlin. Soon their number swelled to 4,000.
A smoke bomb exploded in the America House, a ClIA-financed cultural center for the American government in West Berlin. Students then began to burn the right-wing newspapers of the Axel Springer chain, the big publishing monopoly.
At this point hundreds of police attacked the students, using water cannon and clubs. Twelve police and many of the demonstrators were injured.
The battle lasted eight hours -until two o'clock in the morning. When it ended, forty-nine demonstrators were jailed. Twenty-two police cars were damaged in the fight.
The Berlin Social Democratic party, which traditionally is in the government in West Berlin, admitted that "the demonstration was the biggest West Berlin has ever seen..."
They then went on to praise the cops! "The mayor has thanked the police," the party said, "for their patient and intelligent behavior."
They piously proclaimed that the "restraint" of the police had been evidence of the spirit of democracy that prevails in West Berlin.
Rudi Dutschke, the leader of the socialist students, declared, "We do not want to be the fig leaf for this democracy which is already finished." He called for further demonstrations.