German Opposition Slams VW Plan to Convert Osnabruck Plant for Rafael Military Gear

Thomas Gross, the Left Party's mayoral candidate in Osnabruck for next month's election, strongly criticized Volkswagen's management over the controversial proposal and for leaving thousands of workers in the dark about their future. Cooperating with an Israeli state-owned enterprise is incompatible with Osnabruck's tradition as a "City of Peace, Gross said in a statement to Anadolu, citing the city's legacy as the birthplace of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, which helped lay the foundations of modern international law." He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is responsible for numerous war crimes in Gaza, and that international human rights organisations believe they amount to genocide. Gross emphasized that viable options exist to preserve civilian manufacturing in Osnabruck without converting the site into a defense facility.

"The Left Party supports the proposal to produce minibuses at the plant, which are urgently needed for public transportation in rural areas, Gross said. "In our view, it is far more urgent to improve climate protection and climate adaptation than to pour billions into military buildup.