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If the Federal Republic’s terrorist movement had its origins and favorite terrain in West Berlin, so did the West German Hausbesetzer (squatters) scene of the 1970s and 1980s. Though squatters staked out territory in other cities in the Federal Republic as well, they congregated in greater numbers in West Berlin than anywhere else. In addition to a burgeoning “alternative scene,” they found there a large stock of vacant buildings in line for demolition or renovation. Many of these structures were owned by speculators who had evicted the tenants and were holding the properties as tax write-offs. The buildings were generally derelict and squalid, which made them all the more attractive to the squatters. The epicenter of the squat scene was Kreuzberg 36, the scruffier of the two Kreuzberg postal districts. Here the influx of mainly Turkish Gastarbeiter in the 1960s had driven out many of the middle-class residents, while the close proximity of the Wall kept property values low. The ur-squat in Kreuzberg was the former Bethanien Hospital, a rambling brick complex that was scheduled for demolition despite having considerable architectural significance. While various citizens’ groups struggled to get the demolition order rescinded (which eventually happened), homeless people from the area, along with runaways from all over Europe, moved in and set up house. Dubbing their squat the “Rauhaus,” (rough house) they filled it with junk furniture and installed a sign on the roof saying Yankees Go Home!—which did not stop GIs from coming there to buy drugs. Residents of the upper floors had a good view of one of the watchtowers at the Berlin Wall. Some of the women complained that whenever they went to the communal toilet East German guards ogled them through their binoculars. One woman became so irritated by this that she bought a toy machine gun and pointed it at a guard, sending him diving for cover.

From Kreuzberg the squatters’ movement spread to other run-down parts of town. In the single year between 1980 and 1981 the number of “occupied buildings” rose from 18 to 150. These structures housed between 2,000 and 3,000 people (there was, of course, no accurate count). Initially, the municipal government tried to find a modus vivendi with the squatters. The city offered easy lease or purchase terms to people willing to renovate their buildings according to code. A few took up this offer, but most spurned it as a devious plot to destroy their “scene.” Alarmed at the continuing growth of the squatters movement, which was seen as a further inhibition to investment and yet another stain on the city’s image, the authorities began trying to shut down the squats in the late 1970s. The police evicted illegal tenants and sealed off the properties. This of course led to clashes between squatters and the cops and to protest demonstrations by the estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Berliners who sympathized with the evictees. A demonstration in December 1980 turned into a full-scale riot; hooded Chaoten looted and vandalized such landmarks of consumer culture as the KaDeWe and the Café Kranzler. Thirty-six demonstrators were arrested and over 200 people injured.

Eight years later another battle between cops and squatters erupted in the so-called Lenné-Dreieck, a small piece of land just to the west of the Wall near Potsdamer Platz. Despite its location it technically belonged to the East and was off-limits to West Berliners. In March 1988 the GDR government agreed to cede the plot to West Berlin in exchange for another piece of land on the western side of the Wall. The transfer was due to take place on July 1, 1988. In the meantime, East Berlin authorities turned a blind eye while West Berlin squatters built a shanty settlement on the land. Since West Berlin’s police dared not enter this extraterritorial enclave, the squatters took to launching attacks against police units stationed nearby, then running back to the safety of their “base.” This cat-and-mouse game went on for months—providing another object lesson in the bizarre theatricality of West Berlin’s protest scene. The game ended in the early morning hours of July 1, when the police stormed the triangle and tore down the shanties. About 200 squatters escaped arrest by jumping over the Wall into the East, where GDR border guards gave them a hot breakfast before slipping them back to the West.