Former East German Officials Recall 1989

By Jay Furlong RFE

Stasi officer Timmi Allen was fast asleep when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, while East Germany’s designated prime minister, Hans Modrow, was equally oblivious at a Communist Party meeting. Many were celebrating, but these men were assailed by doubt and uncertainty. This story is taken from a documentary, which can be viewed on the link below.

Armed with 12 empty beer bottles, a canister of kerosene, and an 8mm video camera, two brothers hit back at the Berlin Wall. It was the beginning of a campaign of action against the hated structure that had separated them for years, and their story has now become a graphic novel used in German schools.

Using unique archive video, which the brothers recorded, this film traces their political education in East Germany’s underground heavy metal scene, arrests and deportations, the first pro-democracy protests of 1989, and firebombing attacks in the dead of night.

The campaign itself was not aimed at the border guards, and no-one was injured. But the secret police, the Stasi, were spying on the brothers and investigating the attacks. 
In an exclusive interview, Timmi Allen, now with the Bellingcat investigative unit, talks in detail for the first time about his past as a Stasi officer.

Together, the stories of these and other protagonists offer a unique view of the historic events of 1989.