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This picture is not by me but from Wikipedia and is dated 1983. When I was living there, I don't remember any graffiti on the wall, so I guess it really by 1980 or so...

As for "leaving West Berlin", many people didn't have much problem with that: West Berlin population was actually decreasing with some young men staying there because they were exempted from military service (and moving to other Länder once they were past the age limit). Federal government was away in Bonn and businesses were relocating (Siemens HQ to Munich, etc...).

by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Oct 15th, 2012 at 02:56:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yes, but leaving there at that spot, by running against the wall, seemed quite ridiculous. It was done once, though. There was a demonstration in (I think) the mid 80's when West Berlin demonstrators ran from the police and escaped to the centimetres next to the wall that belonged to the east and actually onto the wall. The West Berlin police never crossed that invisible border (the wall was completely on eastern territory, so to the west of it there was a strip belonging to East Berlin). It was nice pictures in TV and press, I remember, and they had to explain that this happened because of the brutality of the police. The demonstrators later left over eastern territory and then back to the west by U-Bahn. Took some negotiations with the Vopo.
by Katrin on Mon Oct 15th, 2012 at 03:10:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I find the event was in 1988. It wasn't a demonstration per se but the occupation of a special place: a triangular area belonging to East Germany but cut off by the Berlin Wall, which was handed over to West Germany in a territorial exchange on 1 July 1988. The occupation started after a street protest of the non-aligned anarchistic radical Left (who call themselves Autonomen = "the Autonomous" in Germany) on 26 May 1988, with the aim to prevent a highway construction. When West German police stormed the area on day they gained authority over the area, 182 (Wikipedia) or 220 (linked article) fled towards the Wall.

I found photos here.



*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Oct 16th, 2012 at 05:42:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
With photos from the German Wikipedia, here is the same section in 1985, 1987 (when everything "inappropiate" was painted over behind Reagan) and 1989:

The image I had in my mind when you said "graffiti" was more like the last one. But I see that one contains some left-radical texts, too. (I also found the rest of the early eighties slogan on the right: it translates to "Allies and Imperialists Go Home!" in full.)

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Mon Oct 15th, 2012 at 03:31:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
1987 (when everything "inappropiate" was painted over behind Reagan)

I find the painting over with white was an art action by mostly emigrated East German graffiti artists in November 1986. However, on other photos of the Reagan speech, the new graffiti on the wall behind Reagan is in English and fits the occasion (including "Welcome Reagan"), which still raises my suspicions.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Oct 16th, 2012 at 05:49:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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