On the night of April 28 to 29, 2024, we carried out an incendiary attack on the Armin Papperger’s property in Hermannsburg, Turnerstr. on the corner of Immenhoop, where an incendiary device was placed on his garden shed. Papperger is CEO of Rheinmetall, one of the big players in the German armaments industry.
Papperger feels at home here in the Südheide. Surrounded by military training areas and not far from the GÜZ combat training center in the Altmark. The Rheinmetall plant in Unterlüß is only a stone’s throw away. This is where thousands of forced laborers worked for the German war economy at the Rheinmetall-Borsig Rheinmetall-Borsig plant for the German war economy. In a region where, after the war where many National Socialists found refuge after the war, including Adolf Eichmann and the murderer of the Adreatinian Caves, Kappler. In a region where in the 1980s and 1990s Nazi military exercises took place regularly. Not far from Papperger’s house is Munster, one of the largest military bases in Germany. He feels safe and well accepted in this environment, including by his friends with whom the hobby hunter occasionally goes stalking. But tonight may have signaled to him that he doesn’t just have friends and that his retreat is not safe.
Rheinmetall is one of the beneficiaries of the so-called turnaround. This can be clearly seen from a few figures: Since 2022, the Rheinmetall’s share price has quintupled; Papperger himself has replenished his share portfolio with Rheinmetall shares several times. In 2023 the Group, which has been promoted to the DAX index, increased its turnover to 7.2 billion euros, with a target of 10 billion euros for 2024. Before February 2022 the annual production of artillery shells was 70,000 units, 350,000 in 2023 and 700,000 in 2024. Following the takeover of the Spanish ammunition company Expal, Rheinmetall sees itself as the the world’s largest manufacturer of artillery ammunition. The groundbreaking ceremony for a new production facility in Unterlüß was attended by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Ukrainian ambassador and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (“Germany must become fit for war”). The new factory is expected to produce 200,000 shells a year.
Papperger is one of the arms managers with a particularly high media presence. The days when the armaments industry suffered from its image are over. In March 2024, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck assured at a meeting of the 20 most important German arms manufacturers: “We need this industry!” Self-confident and offensively, killing machines can now be presented and advertised. And Rheinmetall has other things to offer besides ammunition, of course tanks in particular: the Lynx and Puma infantry fighting vehicles, the Boxer wheeled tank and the Skyranger anti-aircraft tank. For the Leopard Rheinmetall produces the gun barrel. Rheinmetall also stockpiles various old tank types, which have now been sold to Ukraine, complete with ammunition at a hefty profit. But parts production for the US F35 fighter jet is also on offer.
Rheinmetall plans, produces and murders not only on a national framework. The Group employs over 30,000 workers worldwide in 28 countries. A new ammunition production facility is planned in Ukraine and a maintenance plant for tanks is also due to open there in summer 2024. In addition, the production of infantry fighting battle tanks is also planned. There are also plans for an artillery factory and Rheinmetall is developing a completely new type of battle tank. In the USA, Rheinmetall is participating in tenders and is close to winning a 45 billion dollar contract for the successor to the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. The development of the Russian market is now off the table for the time being. But as recently as 2011, Rheinmetall concluded a contract with the Russian government for the delivery of a training center for the Russian army and saw itself in the role of a pioneer and door opener.
However, the so-called turnaround does not only mean gigantic rearmament and new record profits for the arms industry. It also means a reorientation of the entire society towards war. Politicians from almost all parties are outdoing each other with proposals. The reintroduction of compulsory military service, military education in schools, interlinking research and the military…
The fact that armies and the arms industry are the biggest destroyers of the environment, devour gigantic amounts of resources and, of course, are also the biggest producers of greenhouse gases.
The fight against climate destruction is also the fight against war, the military and the arms industry!
War starts here, let’s stop it here!
Switch off the system of destruction!
Freedom for Daniela!
Strength and luck to all those in hiding from of the radical left and those who agree to militantly attack structures of power!
Source: de.indymedia
Translated by Dark Nights