Petra Schelm
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Petra Schelm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 16 August 1950 |
| Died | 15 July 1971 (aged 20) Hamburg, West Germany |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Organization | Red Army Faction |
Petra Schelm (died 1971) was a German founding member of the Red Army Faction (RAF). She trained as an urban guerilla in Jordan and was killed in a shootout with the police in Hamburg in July 1971.
Petra Schelm grew up in West Berlin and worked as a hairdresser.[1] She started a relationship with Manfred Grashof and the two lived together on Bleibtreustrasse in Charlottenburg. The apartment was used as a distribution hub for the anarchist newspaper Agit 883.[1]
In 1970, Schelm was a founding member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a far-left militant group.[2]: 360 In June 1970, she travelled on false identification to Beirut with Brigitte Asdonk, Hans-Jurgen Backer, Monika Berberich, Grashof and Horst Mahler. From there, the group went to Jordan to attend urban guerilla training at a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) facility. They were joined by Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Ulrike Meinhof.[3]: 179
Roadblock and death
On 15 July 1971, Schelm was driving through Hamburg with Werner Hoppe in a stolen BMW when she avoided a police roadblock.[4]: 194 The police gave chase and stopped the BMW. Hoppe stepped out of the car and shot at police officers, before escaping; Schelm fired at police and was shot dead.[A] A police helicopter chased Hoppe and he was arrested.[4]: 194 [6][7][8]
Schelm was buried at Spandau cemetery in West Berlin. At her funeral, fifty supporters laid a red flag on her grave, which was removed by the police.[3]: 231
