Osnabruck Residents Revolt Over Plant's Reported Israeli Arms Deal

(MENAFN) Alarm has rippled through the western German city of Osnabruck after reports emerged that auto giant Volkswagen may pivot its local plant toward weapons manufacturing for Israel — with residents taking to the streets to voice their opposition, Anadolu reported.

In a symbolic act of protest, locals affixed question mark stickers onto a sign at the city’s entrance bearing the words “City of Peace,” making their sentiments unmistakably clear.

Paul Streif, a Volkswagen factory worker with 12 years of experience at the Osnabruck plant, was unequivocal in his rejection of the proposed shift.

Streif warned that pivoting to arms production “could lead to developments akin to those that may trigger World War 3 instead of securing employment,” arguing the move represented a deeply flawed strategy for safeguarding workers’ livelihoods. He called on fellow employees to fight for alternative employment rather than acquiesce to either weapons manufacturing or factory closure.

Serkan Gulsen, who departed Volkswagen to pursue work in the food industry after the company declined to renew his contract — along with those of roughly 500 colleagues — said the automaker is clearly scrambling for a lifeline amid deteriorating business conditions.

“They wanted to enter a partnership with (defense firm) Rheinmetall to produce for the defense industry but the mayor of Osnabruck was against this idea due to the risk of the city being targeted in war, but I heard these discussions are still underway,” he said.

“Rheinmetall didn’t want any of the workers here and said they’d bring their own instead — there are nearly 3,000 workers here at this plant, so they will either lose their jobs or be sent out to other factories, and no one wants that,” he added.

Osnabruck resident Hasan Bozan framed his opposition in humanitarian terms, pointing to the mounting Palestinian death toll — particularly among children — as an unconscionable reality.

“The German government is complicit in this and I am against this and don’t want such a thing — everyone around me feels the same and no one will approve of investing in war,” he said.

VW and Israeli Arms Maker Rafael: What the Reports Allege
At the heart of the controversy are claims that Volkswagen has entered into strategic partnership negotiations with Rafael, the Israeli defense manufacturer, as a means of rescuing the Osnabruck facility from permanent shutdown.

The Financial Times reported that the proposed collaboration would see the plant retooled to produce key components — including launchers and transport vehicles — for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, with the Berlin government’s backing intended to protect the jobs of approximately 2,300 workers.

Volkswagen has not issued any official response to Anadolu’s queries on the matter, leaving the allegations unaddressed and the future of the plant — and its workforce — deeply uncertain.

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