Greta Thunberg there again: Next blockade attempt in front of the Rheinmetall factory in Berlin-Wedding

A police spokesman spoke to the Tagesspiegel about a “prevented blockade action” with 36 participants. Emergency services lifted activists and carried them away from the driveway. Several people were temporarily arrested and released after their identities were checked. According to the police, 90 officers were on duty.

The group “Peacefully Against Genocide” describes the operation differently. Police officers “ran towards” the protesters and “sometimes used painful grips” to drag them off the street. Footage of the incident shows several activists holding hands to resist the officers’ actions.

Protests against Rheinmetall continue

The protest on Tuesday was preceded by several actions. On Monday, activists stuck themselves in front of a Rheinmetall office on Alexanderplatz. They had already tried to block the factory entrance in Wedding on Thursday. Two police officers were injured. According to police, around 1,800 people took part in a demonstration at the Rheinmetall site at the weekend.

In the past few months there have been repeated protests at or on Rheinmetall’s Berlin premises. The Rheinmetall factory is expected to produce ammunition for large-caliber weapons from the middle of the year. The group “Peacefully Against Genocide” accuses Rheinmetall of contributing to the continuation of the war in Gaza by supplying arms to Israel.