Benno Ohnesorg: A Student Voice That Sparked Change

In late spring of 1967, tensions rose in West Germany as the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, arrived for an official visit. On June 2, a day that would become infamous, he was scheduled to visit the city hall of Berlin. As the Shah was being received with formal honors, demonstrations erupted against his regime, primarily organized by German students critical of his authoritarian rule and human rights abuses in Iran.