Adorno

With his Back to the Wall 453

its intentions, honest in its methods, and progressive in itsinterpretations
and actions.’^17 However, the idea of a programme of political resistance
with the aim of directly provoking the power of the state belonged to
‘a voluntaristic ideology’ that could easily turn into ‘left-wing fascism’.^18
Did Adorno’s great sympathy for his Frankfurt colleague include agree-
ment with this formula which undeniably contained a criticism of the
student opposition? What is known is that Adorno did use the same
epithet of ‘left-wing fascism’, not at the time, admittedly, but a year or
so later, particularly in private conversations, but also in interviews in
which he referred to Habermas. Habermas himself admitted that his
contribution to the debate was not unproblematic, even though events
were to show that the dangerous experiment of militant attacks on the
state monopoly of violence could degenerate into terrorism.^19 Adorno
shared with the oppositional students the idea of emancipation as well
as their belief that there was a significant need for educational reforms.
He agreed also that changes in obsolete authoritarian and hierarchical
structures were overdue and that the norms that obtained in the penal
code on sexual matters were repressive. His reaction at the time was
characteristic. Karl-Heinz Kurras, the policeman who had shot the fleeing
student, was acquitted of the charge of culpably negligent homicide by
the Landesgericht in Moabit in Berlin. Adorno took this astonishing
news as the occasion for a further statement during his aesthetics lec-
ture on 23 November 1967.

If the police officer cannot be condemned because it has not been

possible to find him guilty in accordance with the law, the guilt of

his superiors is all the greater. The fact that the police went armed

to a student demonstration gives rise to the temptation to take

action that the police officer concerned would like to justify with

the term ‘orders’ [Auftrag]. In Frankfurt it has been shown time

and again that the police have no need of such methods. This

makes it all the more important to discover urgently why they

were used in Berlin, who the people responsible are and what sort

of orders were involved. Beyond all that, however, there is the

impression that I have of Mr Kurras when he appeared on tele-

vision. I heard him utter a sentence to the effect that ‘I am sorry

that a student lost his life.’ There was an unmistakable reluctance

in his tone, as if Mr Kurras had forced himself to utter those few

meagre words, but had somehow not taken in the full seriousness

of what he had done.^20

The nature of the disagreements and the shared opinions between
the left-wing students and Horkheimer and Adorno encouraged both
groups to discover just where their views diverged. Adorno in particular
was keen to reach an understanding. So he arranged a meeting for a