Sign in

Private company

Rote Hilfe e.V.

Logo: rote-hilfe.de4

German far-left prisoner support group

Rote Hilfe e.V. ("Red Aid," abbreviated RH) is a German association that supports left‑wing activists who come into conflict with the law in the course of their political activities. It describes itself as a "party‑independent, cross‑current left‑wing protection and solidarity organisation. " With a history of more than 100 years, Rote Hilfe is the oldest — and, with around 19,000 members (as of 2025), the largest — organisation within the German left‑wing scene.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1975Founded1
  • HeadquartersGöttingen1
  • Websitewww.rote-hilfe.de
  • Legal formRegistered association (eingetragener Verein)1
  • Kind of organizationAssociation1
  • LEI894500YPSVQGMNX2MI323
  • StatusActive3
  • LEI statusIssued and current3
  • Registered addressLange Geismar-Straße 3, 37073 Göttingen, Germany3
  • Registered withLocal Court Göttingen, VR 2016883

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

1. Mai 2013 in Hannover. Gute Arbeit. Sichere Rente. Soziales Europa. Umzug vom Freizeitheim Linden zum Klagesmarkt. Menschen und Aktivitäten (222)
Photo: Foto: Bernd Schwabe in Hannover, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons6

Rote Hilfe e.V. ("Red Aid," abbreviated RH) is a German association that supports left‑wing activists who come into conflict with the law in the course of their political activities. It describes itself as a "party‑independent, cross‑current left‑wing protection and solidarity organisation." With a history of more than 100 years, Rote Hilfe is the oldest — and, with around 19,000 members (as of 2025), the largest — organisation within the German left‑wing scene. Its membership has grown significantly in recent years. The association comprises around 50 local and regional groups and maintains a federal office in Göttingen.2

The story

Red Aid was founded in 1975, although local groups calling themselves "Rote Hilfe" had begun to appear in the late 1960s. The organisation sees itself as a successor to the Weimar-era Rote Hilfe. In the 1970s, it worked on behalf of Red Army Faction (RAF) prisoners, and a small number of RH members later joined the RAF or similar groups (e.g., Angelika Speitel and Hans-Joachim Klein). Today, roughly half of Red Aid's budget is used to cover the legal fees, fines, and expenses of left‑wing activists and prisoners. It also publishes a quarterly journal, Die Rote Hilfe ("The Red Aid"), along with other publications, and organises events. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, BfV) asserts that Red Aid plays a supportive role within left‑wing extremist milieus, contributing to their cohesion and persistence.

From Wikipedia’s article on Rote Hilfe e.V., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Timeline

  1. 1975Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
    Company websiteRote Hilfe e.V. logo
  5. 5
  6. 6