Issue and Opponent: Beginning in May of 1989, Hungary decided to start easing border restrictions. In June of 1989, foreign ministers of Hungary and Austria cut the barbed wire fencing that separated their border. This symbolic act started the campaign to end communist governments across Central and Eastern Europe. On August 19, 1989, a Pan-European picnic was planned on the Austro-Hungarian border in a symbolic opening of the Iron Curtain.
Dilemma Action: Thousand of Austrians and Hungarians, along with several hundred East Germans, gathered at the border fence to celebrate solidarity and friendship. Activists created and distributed flyers that provided the details for the symbolic meeting of these three groups. They were specifically targeting immigration rules enforced by the Soviet Union’s Iron Curtain between East and Central Europe. The people of Austria, Hungary, and East Germany wanted to reclaim their land and open their borders.
Outcome: The authorities did not know how to respond to several thousand people having a picnic, which is why this could be considered a dilemma action. The authorities did not punish the activists for gathering and crossing country borders.