The first major opposition group founded in East Germany during the 1989 protests was New Forum.
New Forum, known in German as Neues Forum, was founded on September 9–10, 1989, at the former home of dissident writer Robert Havemann in Grünheide. Its founding proclamation, “Aufbruch 89,” called for an open dialogue about democratic reform and invited broad participation from East German society.
The movement grew out of the peace and civil-rights networks that had operated under the protection of Protestant churches. Unlike the established parties within East Germany’s National Front, New Forum was an independent political movement. Authorities initially rejected its registration and labeled it “anti-state,” but pressure from the expanding protest movement forced the government to recognize it on November 8, 1989.
New Forum is sometimes confused with older opposition organizations such as the Initiative for Peace and Human Rights, founded in 1986. It was, however, the first countrywide independent political movement formed during the 1989 upheaval and became one of the most visible forces in the transition. In February 1990, it joined Democracy Now and the Initiative for Peace and Human Rights to form Alliance 90.