Munich Demonstration for Freedom of the Press in Response to the Spiegel Affair (c. October-November 1962) When chief editor Rudolf Augstein and other members of the Spiegel staff were imprisoned under accusation of treason, the liberal press reacted with sharp criticism, and students came out in strong defense of freedom of the press, including these student-demonstrators at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. For some critical observers, the Spiegel Affair kindled associations with the so-called Weltbühne trial of the Weimar Republic. When members of the Free Democratic Party criticized the actions of Defense Minister Franz-Josef Strauß, the ruling coalition government faced a crisis that eventually led to the resignation of Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Some of the students’ signs read: “Fällt die FDP wieder um?” [“Is the FDP falling down again?“], “Schützt die Pressefreiheit“ [“Protect freedom of the press”], “Eine Zensur findet nicht statt! Grundgesetz Artikel 5/1/3” [“No censorship will take place. Basic Law, Paragraph 5/1/3”]. Photographer unknown.