Tlaxcala, 23 October 2025
From the
depths of rural Spain rises a cry of anger, of violated dignity, of appeal to
the conscience of old Europe: stop the manufacturers and merchants of death! On
Saturday 25 October, for the second time, a demonstration will take place in
front of the Rheinmetall arms factory in Navalmoral de la Mata, province of
Cáceres, Extremadura, called by the collectives La Vera con
Palestina and Extremadura
con Palestina. Below is a summary of the documents we published in Spanish and German.
The call is titled “No al rearme, stop genocidio”—No to the rearmament of Spain and Europe, stop the genocide. Within the framework of the European Commission’s “Rearm Europe” plan, the Madrid government has committed itself to NATO’s target of 2% of GDP in military spending. The goal—dividing the governing coalition—is to reach a budget of more than 40 billion euros by 2029.
Linking
Anti-Armament Struggles and Solidarity with Palestine
The
central demand: to link the struggle against rearmament with solidarity for the
Palestinian people, victims of a genocide perpetrated by Israel with Western
complicity. The organizers call for the creation of an internationalist social
movement against militarization and the war economy.
Critique
of the Western Model and a Call for Disobedience
The
appeal paints an apocalyptic portrait of the modern world: the West is a
decadent empire led by selfish elites (USA and Europe) who, faced with
ecological and energy crises, turn to war and conquest. Rearmament is seen as a
strategy to sustain the hyper-consumerist model and seize the South’s
resources. Germany, once the land of “poets and thinkers,” becomes again that
of “judges and executioners,” following the USA, abandoning its energy autonomy
(Russian gas) to relaunch itself through arms production.
The
appeal advances an economic and moral argument: every increase in military
spending results in a decrease in social spending. The authors denounce a new
era of austerity, comparable to that of the 2010s, and accuse Spanish
governments, including socialist ones, of privatizing the common good for the
benefit of the military-industrial complex.
A direct
appeal is addressed to Rheinmetall workers in Extremadura:
“Os parece ético trabajar para esta empresa cómplice del genocidio?” – Do
you think it’s ethical to work for this company complicit in genocide?
The
demands include: withdrawal of public aid to the arms industry, total embargo
on weapons to Israel, breaking diplomatic relations, prosecuting involved
leaders, ending European rearmament, and initiating a program of degrowth.
Rheinmetall:
Symbol of Modern Warfare
The
article by José Luis Ybot (El Salto, 17 September 2024) traces the
history of Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest arms company, founded in the 19th
century, associated with the Nazi regime, later converted to civilian
production, and since 1956 again a pillar of rearmament. Since 2000, it has refocused
on the military: Leopard tanks, Eurofighter Typhoons, drones, lasers, defense
systems, and more.
In 2022,
Rheinmetall bought Expal, a subsidiary of the Spanish group Maxam, owner of the
El Gordo and Navalmoral de la Mata plants. These sites, involved in the
manufacture and dismantling of antipersonnel mines, make Extremadura a
“sacrificed” region in service of the war economy.
Since
the war in Ukraine, Rheinmetall’s value has quintupled. Its shareholders
include BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America. The company profits from
global arms demand, particularly through its Ukrainian subsidiary created in
2023.
Investigation:
Rheinmetall in El Gordo and Navalmoral
A report
by Luis Velasco San Pedro (El País, 1 November 2024) shows how the
village of El Gordo lives off Rheinmetall: 200 residents work there, salaries
exceed 1,600 euros, and unemployment is nearly zero. But secrecy reigns.
Employees sign confidentiality agreements and say: “Lo que se hace allí es
top secret.”
Deputy
Nerea Fernández (Unidas por Extremadura) denounces regional complicity
and public funding of Rheinmetall (58,060 euros of European funds). She calls
for the conversion of these factories to civilian production. For her, “the
genocide in Gaza begins in Extremadura.”
Popular
Mobilizations and Global Critique
The
communiqué calling for the previous demonstration on 6 October 2024 urged
boycott of Israel and civil disobedience: “La única forma de buscar la paz
es no fabricar la guerra.” – The only way to seek peace is not to
manufacture war.
Europe
was described as a militarized “mega-Israel,” built on fear and dependence on
the war economy.
The
dossier combines investigation, manifesto, and moral plea. It denounces war
capitalism and links the local struggle against Rheinmetall to the Palestinian
cause. The authors assert a conviction: the fight for peace begins where
weapons are made.
The
message applies urbi et orbi—in Europe, North and South America, and
Asia: we must stop the manufacturers and merchants of death, wherever they are,
“by any means necessary.” To date, only one arms factory—Elbit Systems in
Bristol, UK—has ceased operations. Credit goes to the courageous militants of Palestine
Action, now banned as a “terrorist” group, with members prosecuted. The
same fate befalls Palestine Action Germany, whose activists carried out
symbolic actions against Elbit Systems in Ulm; five are now on trial.
Another aspect of necessary mobilization concerns the transport of arms to Israel—either ready-to-use weapons or components destined for Israeli arms factories. Protests have occurred in Marseille, Genoa, and Tangier, with others ongoing.
The cargo ship Marianne Danica, carrying 155 mm shells for Elbit Systems from Chennai, India, to Haifa, diverted from Gibraltar to Casablanca to avoid Spanish protests. Another vessel, Ocean Gladiator, carrying 163 tons of brass cartridge cases from the Wieland factory in Buffalo, USA, recently passed through the Strait of Gibraltar en route to Ashdod, with its next stop scheduled in Limassol (Cyprus) on 3 November [track it here]. We'll await it there.
