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History Daily

The Killing of Benno Ohnesorg

History Daily

Airship | Noiser | Wondery

History

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

June 2, 1967. Benno Ohnesorg, a West German student, is killed by a police officer while attending a protest in West Berlin.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free.

0:04.1

Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app.

0:06.0

As a member of NoisorPlus at noisor.com or in Apple Podcasts,

0:10.6

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com. It's dusk on June 2nd, 1967, outside the German Opera House in West Berlin.

0:32.8

Behind a police barrier, a young female student stands among a crowd of angry protesters. They're demonstrating

0:39.1

against the leader of Iran, Muhammad Rajas Shah, who's been invited to attend tonight's

0:44.0

performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute, despite his government's notorious record on human rights.

0:50.3

The young student spots of black Mercedes pull up in front of the entrance.

1:00.1

Shoulder to shoulder with other protesters, she joins the rising chant of murderer as security agents surround the car and usher the Shaw and his wife toward the opera house.

1:04.5

Roaring in anger, the protesters fling tomatoes and eggs at them, but the couple soon disappear inside,

1:10.6

and that seems to be a cue

1:11.7

for the police outside to advance. The officer's aggression is sudden and shocking. Swinging their

1:18.5

batons, they forced the demonstrators back from the opera house. Frightened, the young woman

1:23.0

looks around, but suddenly the friends she came with are nowhere to be seen. She tried to find a way out, but she realizes she's trapped like everyone else.

1:32.0

Her only escape is to an underground parking lot beneath a nearby building.

1:36.2

All around her is chaos.

1:38.5

The student has jostled by fleeing protesters.

1:41.2

She stumbles, hitting the side of a car and falls to the ground. People trip and vault

1:45.8

over her, and she struggles to get back to her feet. She manages to rise into a crouch and is frantically

1:52.0

searching for somewhere else to hide when the crack of a gunshot reverberates through the parking

1:57.4

line. Terrifying. The student looks around her

2:00.8

and then sees a young man

...

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