Without public support, insurgency can raise awareness but not serious political change.

Baader-Meinhof was released in 2008; the movie is called after the name of the left wing terrorist group that was active in West Germany in post-world war II period. It focuses on the rise and fall of the group that was revolting against imperialism, corruption in the government and especially German support of ‘Imperialism wars” like the Vietnam war. They used violence to draw attention to existential issues and bring political change.

The Battle of Algiers (1966) directed by Gillo Pontecorvo is about the Algerian battle for independence from the French. The movie follows the members of the National Liberation Front or FLN, a political group created in 1954, which demanded political independence and freedom through armed revolts.

Both movies show how insurgency can be used as a mean to demand political change and raise public awareness to an issue. With real events and characters, both movies attempt to reproduce the event as they happened. Despite the fact that they took different trajectories, the goal of each organization was the same, to achieve political change. However, one of them failed and the other succeeded.

Baaden-Meinhof group also called the Red Army Faction condemned among others injustice, the absurdity of the Vietnam War and existential issues. The movie contains editing and footage of real events, news reports and speeches. The group is made of young middle class Germans still traumatized by the Nazi era that just ended. They are deeply affected and scandalized by the injustices that do not affect their lives directly and plan terrorist attacks until the key members find themselves all imprisoned in a high security prison. On the other hand, The Battle of Algiers is taking place on Algerian soil with Algerian people fighting for their national sovereignty and change the course of history. The FLN is not a terrorist organization but a nationalist movement that used terror as a weapon. The movie contains historically accurate information and is largely based on the memoirs of Saadi Yacef, one of the FLN leaders who also starred in the movie playing his own character. 

Despite the differences of proximity to the causes they are defending both groups are using insurgency as a mean to achieve their goal. Each movie starts with police brutality; in one is the killing of a rebel and in the other of a protestor, which make a statement at the start of the movie. The fact that the police or the state is the first agency that we see using violence, unconsciously makes us side with the rebels from the beginning and condition us to think that they do not have any other choices but to react aggressively.

First, both groups establish contacts with the public and try to get help and support from the population. The FLN uses the radio while the Red Army writes articles to defend their cause and keep the public informed. They point fingers at people they qualified of traitors.

 However, a major obstacle that the Red Army faced was the generational gap in Germany. Beyond the difference of age, the society is polarized between a generation that lived under the Nazi and supported fascism against the millennials who have a fear of fascism and all that has happened during the war. In addition to that with the increasing killing of innocents the public support start decreasing, one of the member was sold to the police by a vendor in a store. In The Battle of Algiers however, there is no willing treason from the Algerian population, the only time information is given up about the FLN is following brutality and torture by the French Force.

To respond to the insurgency, the French and German forces perspective is followed through the movies. The President of the Criminal Federal Public Office of Germany, Horst Herold, tries to understand the terrorists’ motive instead of focusing on defeating them. He says that “The one in political position must change the conditions that lead to terrorism,” we see him in several occasion questioning the measures and initiative of the state to counter terrorism. On the other hand, Colonel Mathieu in charge of repressing the FLN uses military strategy to dissolve the group and especially find its head. He does not hesitate to use, brutality or bombs. We see the police planting a bomb in an Arab neighborhood killing innocent civilians’ and vandalizing Algerian stores’ and property during the strike. Policemen beat up captured members of the RAF but there is no real reprisal or as much brutality as in the Battle of Algiers which is maybe due to the fact that in the later the FLN was killing Europeans civilians.

 Both movies end with the death of key members of the gangs. However, the imprisonment of the key members does not result in the end of the group’s activities or ideas. The future generations of the Red Army Factory continues the attacks against authorities and goes even further than their predecessor by holding hostage the personal of the Embassy of Germany in Stockholm and hijack a plane in exchange for the liberation of the main character.

 Unfortunately, we observe that the actions of the RAF become senseless toward the end. They slowly divorce from reality, we ourselves while watching start losing track of the cause. The shift might be due to the fact that the cause they were defending was not affecting them directly. The distance makes it easier to forget and get carried away. The advantage that the FLN had was the public support due to the fact that they were all directly affected by the discrimination, violence and subject to the French presence on their territory.

The German people did not find any strong interest in what was going on in the Third World or elsewhere so having the support of the public opinion to raise awareness and make a change was a great obstacle for the RAF. We see the members quoting Che Guevara or Mao Zedong meaning that they find most of their inspiration in communism, notions that are far from Germans at this time. On the other hand, The Battle of Algiers is about nation building and independence not an ideology. 

The most political scene for me was in The Battle of Algiers, when a member of the FLN was talking to Ali La Pointe and told him that “violence does not win war” and that “terrorism is useful as a start but then the people must act”. This shows clearly the major role of public support and opinion in achieving any change.

Indeed, at some point the French forces try to get them on their side by telling them France is their homeland and to “resist the FLN”so they will cooperate with them. The FLN on the other hand, were not only trying to draw the attention of their fellow citizens but of the international community too. They were able to get noticed by the UN, even it was a failure more was known about the condition in Algiers and it draw public attention. The death or suicide of Ben Mhidi generates interest of journalists and the public as well as the allegation that torture was used by the French. The fact that the movie was banned during 5 years in France after its released show the political dimension of it.

Baader Meinhof lacked clearly high public support and even the future generation’s member did not know what to do or exactly what they were fighting for. Despite the fact that the attack continues after the imprisonment of the founders, the ideas disappeared in the long run. It is in Algeria that the idea survived until the country got its independence. Like the FLN member told Ali, it is indeed the people who did the rest and brought political change. Both movies show that killing people does not kill their ideas. The use of insurgency in Baader-Meinhof had little effect on Germany’s foreign policy. 

In the Battle of Algiers it left a profound mark in the population, and influences the demand for independence years later, it was not that useless.

I would conclude by saying that having a cause is a good thing but you cannot achieve political change without strong public support and interest to apply pressure on the government or authorities. The use of insurgency can be a start but not an effective way to get what you want because you cannot bring changes alone.   Also, the ideas or causes you want to fight for needs to affect the public otherwise they won’t feel that much incentive to join you.