June 18-20, 1953
WORKERS’ UPRISING: London, 17 – The sea of workers in (East) Berlin that came out to close the city streets for a second day running in an unprecedented revolutionary movement of unarmed, free people protesting against their evil rulers, did not find the streets open as on the previous day. The Soviet occupiers abandoned their supposedly diplomatic indifference when they saw that their edifice was at risk of crumbling and the people’s anger had gone beyond the acceptable limits. Police officers with clubs beat back the crowds, huge tanks rumbled through the streets emitting warnings through loudspeakers, machine guns were installed at vantage points, infantry troops were paraded through the streets in trucks, threatened only by unarmed people protesting against the display of brute force. During evening hours, martial law was declared, after an unknown number of people were injured and taken to hospitals and first-aid centers. The dead were transported to graveyards where they were buried without ceremony. However, the protesters did not falter, but burned red flags, destroyed the signs marking areas that were once out of bounds, set fire to police guard posts and shouted continually: «We want freedom and free elections. Ivan (i.e. the Russian soldier) should go home. We are not slaves. Down with the Communist government.»
