The Olympic Games in Munich of 1972

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“No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas” (Advertising, Demonstrations, Propaganda* 98). This rule shows just what the Germans were hoping for, a peaceful, passive, war-free environment in which countries can get together and compete. Although we all know that quite the antithesis was upon the 1972 Olympics in Munich between September the fifth and September the sixth. The Munich Massacre, one of the worst massacres of all time, was driven by the vengefulness of the Palestinian group known as Black September, towards the people of Israel, or more relevantly, towards their Olympic team (Rosenberg). Since this confrontation between Palestine and Israel has been going on for such a long time, the conflict was ultimately inevitable. Or was it? The tragedy at the 1972 Munich Olympics stunned the world by the murders of the Israeli Olympic team, but the fact that it could have been prevented is completely unacceptable.

Tensions were very high at these Olympics, mainly because that these were the first Olympic Games held in Germany since the Nazis hosted the Games in 1936 (Rosenberg). Though for some, it was never going to be easy to forget the recent, and quite frankly, horrific past. The Olympic Park had been built just six miles from the Dachau concentration camp, one of the largest concentration camps ever (Burnton). For all 42 representatives of Israel, these Olympics had a deeper meaning than everyone else. Citizens of Israel, many of them Holocaust survivors themselves, or their children, were returning to the Germany. Whose government had, only one generation ago, set out to wipe their people from the earth, and marching with pride...

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...eguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/may/02/50-stunning-olympic-moments-munich-72

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http://www.straight.com/news/jack-chivo-why-munich-olympics-massacre-remains-fresh-my-mind

Gal-Or, Noemi. "Domestic vs. International Terrorism." World Terrorism. Sharpe Online

Reference (2014): n. pag. Web. 27 Feb 2014. http://www.sharpe-online.com/SOLR/a/show-content/fullarticle/23/Book022-PART1-article37

"Olympics Massacre: Munich - The Real Story." The Independent. Independent Digital News

and Media, 22 Jan. 2006. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/olympics-massacre-munich--the-real-story-524011.htm

Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Munich Massacre." About.com 20th Century History. N.p., n.d. Web. 02

Mar. 2014. http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/p/munichmassacre.htm

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