Riots at the demo of the "Rheinmetall disarm" alliance

Riots broke out between the police and activists in front of an armaments production facility in Kassel.

A spokeswoman for the Kassel police said the officials had been thrown at with construction site objects and had used pepper spray and batons against the demonstrators. The officials themselves reported on Twitter that the mood was "aggressive".

Police were not aware of any injuries as of Friday morning. In addition to the police officers, a police helicopter was also used.

The anti-militarist alliance “Rheinmetall Disarm” is directed against arms deliveries from Rheinmetall and other armaments companies, also in connection with the war in Ukraine.

On Friday morning, the entrances to the production site of Rheinmetall's competitor Krauss-Maffei Wegmann were blocked to prevent the shift from starting. The activists succeeded in doing this, as a spokesman for the company said. Several hundred people took part in the blockade, it said. The ongoing protests were also documented on Twitter.

The street where the site was located was temporarily closed. A protest march then formed, moving through the city centre.

Under the slogan "Disarming Kassel is (not) an art!", the nationwide alliance has called for a protest camp and actions against war, rearmament and isolation. The multi-day protest is planned until Sunday.