Horst Mahler

Horst Mahler (born January 23, 1936), is a German lawyer and active member within both the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD) and Deutsches Kolleg, a right-wing think-tank calling for a nationalist revolution in Germany. Along with Reinhold Oberlecher and Uwe Meenen, he stands against the status quo of the American and Western Countries, with his rhetoric tending to be anti-semetic.

Early History, the Red Army Faction and Imprisonment

As a young lawyer, Mahler worked within a prominent Berlin law office until his socialist leanings led to involvent with clientelle from the Extra-Parliamentary Opposition (APO), which in turn ruined his chance for a successful professional career in Western Germany.

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Dedicated to continuing his work, Mahler jointly founded the first "socialist lawyers collective" and represented several activists within the German student movement of the 1960s. He stepped beyond representation and took a more active stance following the shooting of Rudi Dutschke. Mahler's involvement in the protests against the right-wing newspaper that had fueled Dutschke's attempted assasin led to an equally unsuccessful attempt to expunge his legal license. After defending Dutschke, Mahler moved on to defend Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin. In 1970, he fled with to Jordan along with his two former clients, where they briefly trained for guerrilla warfare. Upon their return, they began a "war on imperialism", having established the extremist organization known as the Red Army Faction.

Related Topics:
German student movement - Rudi Dutschke - Guerrilla warfare - Red Army Faction

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In 1972, Mahler was arrested for ?conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery in connection with the establishment of a criminal association and participation in the same? and later sentenced to twelve years imprisonment. During this time, he became skeptical of the RAF and shed his old beliefs. Following his release, Mahler regained the ability to practice law.

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