Half a Million Public Enemies A film by Daniel Burkholz In 1949, when the Cold War had started, the West German government planned the building of a new army. This project caused huge protests among the war tired population. The government considered the protesters to be public enemies. About 500.000 men, women and children were affected by political persecution which often was carried out by police men, public prosecutors and judges who had already been on duty during the Nazi Time.
Runtime: 54 Minutes, 16:9, Germany 2013 Director: Daniel Burkholz, Creative Producer: Sybille Fezer Camera: Daniel Burkholz, Editor: Jan-Malte Enning Photos (b/w) Anton Tripp www.roadside-dokumentarfilm.de
Many activists were thrown into prison, partly for a long time. Finally the whole political movement was smashed down. The scale of this persecution is unprecedented in western democracies after the Second World War.
Until now a veil of silence was drawn over this chapter of german history. Peter Kleinert, Neue Rheinische Zeitung The film makes the violence exercised by the Federal Republic of Germany in its early years vivid. Matthias Reichelt, Junge Welt The film shows the impact of the prosecution on the life of its victims. Peter Nowak, Freitag Watch this Film! It contains not a single boring second. Anja Rรถhl, Publisher One should not be astonished that the Federal Ministery of Justice didn't want to give the filmmaker an interview on this topic. Thomas Blum, Neues Deutschland
The political situation in the german society is still influenced by these events. And the verdict by the German Supreme Court which made this political persecution possible is still valid today.