Dietrich Wagner (1944 – 28 June 2023) was a German engineer who suffered damage to his eyes during the 2010 Stuttgart 21 project protests due to the use of water cannons.
[1] Wagner was struck and knocked unconscious by the high velocity stream of water and noticed blood running down his face when he woke up.
[7] Tristana Moore of Time wrote that the photograph of his injury caused "a regional dispute over an unpopular building project instantly transformed into a national issue — and the political repercussions are now reverberating all the way to Berlin.
[8] According to the author Jakob Augstein, the picture had a relevant impact, causing Minister of Baden-Württemberg Stefan Mappus to lose his position.
[9] In 2014 he visited the United Kingdom to ask Theresa May, the Home Secretary, to not authorise usage of water cannons.