"Activists gathered in Berlin on Sunday to oppose plans to turn the former Pierburg car-parts factory into a Rheinmetall ammunition plant, warning the project would fuel further militarisation. Footage shows crowds marching with flags and banners as police detain several demonstrators. Speakers accused Rheinmetall of profiting from war and helping perpetrate it. "I don’t know of any period in history when Germany has ever done anything for peace, only for war. Yes, they are the perpetrators of two world wars. And Germany really needs to be stopped again when it claims to stand for peace, because it always ends in war," a protester said. "Germany must assert its position in Europe as the leading power - they even say this openly. That means Germany wants to bring the European powers under its control for the next war. Germany is the warmonger in Europe - the main instigator of war," said another. The protester also added that Germany is one of the "biggest suppliers of weapons to Israel" and Ukraine. "'Never again' has to mean 'never again' for everyone, and that includes the Palestinians and also the Russians and Ukrainians. Germany should push for peace talks instead of blindly sending weapons," added a second. Rheinmetall has been expanding arms output across Europe, including a new shell factory in Unterlub, and reported record 2024 sales of €9.75 billion. Organisers said that the Pierburg site in Humboldthain will also start producing artillery shells in 2026. It comes after research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows Germany supplied about 30 per cent of Israel's major arms imports between 2019 and 2023, second only to the US. Plaintiffs in German and international courts say German-made equipment is key to Israel's attacks on Gaza, arguing the ground offensive would be impossible without Berlin-maintained vehicles. The government, however, insists that all exports are tightly regulated. Similarly, Russia claims Berlin's supply of Leopard tanks, howitzers, and air defence systems makes it a 'direct participant' in the conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that any delivery of long-range weapons, such as Taurus missiles, would mark a 'further escalation' to the 'neo-Nazi regime.' However, Berlin alleges that such military support is an act of legitimate 'self-defence' for Ukraine."