Berlin, MINA – Pro-Palestinian activists blocked entrances to several arms manufacturing facilities across Germany on Tuesday to protest the country’s continued weapons exports to Israel.
The coordinated sit-ins were organized by the group Peacefully Against Genocide, which targeted several weapons manufacturers, including Rheinmetall facilities and a site operated by General Dynamics. In Berlin, demonstrators staged a sit-in outside Rheinmetall’s plant in the Wedding district.
Laila Fuisz, a member of Peacefully Against Genocide, said Palestinians had faced daily killings for three years and criticized the German government for continuing to approve weapons deliveries to Israel.
“For three years Israel has been committing a genocide against Palestinians,” Fuisz said in a statement, adding that companies such as Rheinmetall continued producing weapons at full capacity.
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“International law clearly prohibits participation in genocide through weapons deliveries, but that does not stop the state from continuing to deliver weapons,” she said.
“We are blocking weapons factories because it is necessary – not to break a law, but to defend the rights of all and protect human lives,” she added.
Another protester, Bedia Ozakyol, said she joined the demonstration because of the continuing deaths of children in Gaza.
“My children are growing up in a world where this is supposed to be normal. I cannot accept that,” she said.
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“I cannot stand by and watch as states enable the death of children. That is why I am sitting here, for all children,” Ozakyol added.
A third activist criticized the arms industry’s portrayal of weapons development as progress, questioning whether technological advances justified weapons that caused more severe injuries and killed people more quickly.
“This happens in the middle of our city while families in Palestine lie under rubble,” the protester said.
The demonstrations are part of a broader movement in Germany and elsewhere in Europe opposing arms exports to Israel amid the war in Gaza and mounting international scrutiny of Israel’s military actions.
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Germany has faced growing debate over its military support for Israel, including the legal and humanitarian implications of weapons transfers. The International Court of Justice has issued provisional measures in the case brought by South Africa alleging violations of the Genocide Convention, while the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials over alleged crimes under its jurisdiction.
The activists argue that continued arms exports risk making Germany complicit in violations of international law. They are calling on the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel and ensure accountability for alleged war crimes.
The blockades targeting Rheinmetall and General Dynamics facilities reflect continuing tensions in Germany over arms export policy, the country’s obligations under international law and the humanitarian consequences of the war in Gaza.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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