Protests in Germany Against Arming Israel and Converting Volkswagen Factory for Military Production

SadaNews - German citizens in the city of Osnabrück criticized their country’s export of weapons to Israel, expressing their rejection of the plan to convert a factory in their city owned by "Volkswagen" into military production for the benefit of Israel, describing it as "terrifying."

This criticism came during protests against the plan to produce weapons and military materials for Israel at a factory belonging to the German car-making giant "Volkswagen."

German citizens who spoke to "Anadolu" stated that supplying Israel with weapons makes Germany a partner in the responsibility for the suffering of Palestinians.

In a statement to the Turkish news agency, student Oliver Strick said that the German government, despite its denial, is sending tank parts and artillery shells that are used in Gaza.

Strick regarded providing weapons to a state that "violates human rights" as hypocrisy and a violation of the constitution.

Meanwhile, a German named Helmut pointed out that the West avoids condemning what is happening in Palestine.

He noted the international accusations against Israel of committing genocide, while international institutions suffer from political pressures.

The Israeli army commits daily violations of the ceasefire agreement through bombing and shooting; since the agreement came into effect, 723 Palestinians have been martyred and 1990 injured.

Student Philip mentioned that converting civilian factories to produce weapons is a "terrifying" matter, especially if these weapons will end up in Israel.

He emphasized that Germany’s historical responsibility should be to protect international law, not to support violations.

Retired Johan Van assigned part of the responsibility to Germany, accusing its government of supporting the policies of occupation and not taking real steps.

He pointed to the scale of destruction and human losses in Gaza and criticized the weak critical media coverage within Germany.

These protests come after the CEO of Volkswagen, Oliver Blume, announced that the company is in talks to convert its factory in Osnabrück to manufacture components related to the defense sector, including the possibility of producing parts for Israeli air defense systems such as the "Iron Dome". The announcement was made last week.

The British newspaper "Financial Times" recently reported, citing informed sources, that "Volkswagen" is in negotiations with the Israeli defense industries firm "Rafael" to establish a strategic partnership between them.

The newspaper clarified that the discussions include cooperation in producing components related to the Israeli "Iron Dome" system, including launch platforms and transport vehicles at the Osnabrück factory, as part of a government-supported project aimed at maintaining around 2300 jobs.