As Berlin police expand weapons-free zones in parts of the city to better surveil and control residents, MERA25 Berlin has declared a different kind of exclusion zone: a “war weapons ban zone” around the Pierburg plant in Berlin-Wedding, which is being incorporated into Rheinmetall’s weapons production.

The action, carried out using election posters ahead of the district council elections in Mitte and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, puts a spotlight on the growing presence of arms production in the heart of the German capital.

The Pierburg site is undergoing a major transformation, moving away from its traditional role in the automotive industry towards the production of military components. Since July 2025, the plant has been part of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH. 

According to current plans, 80-centimetre-long, 42-kilogram projectiles for 155-millimetre NATO-standard artillery ammunition will be hardened and further processed at the site, with annual production of 250,000 components planned from 2027.

Locating weapons production in a densely populated part of the city raises serious questions about Berlin’s role in Germany’s military build-up.

The Wedding neighbourhood is home to thousands of residents as well as schools and other civilian infrastructure. MERA25 insists that turning the area into a site for the production of weapons of war creates new risks for local communities, while contributing to what it describes as Germany’s growing militarisation under the Zeitenwende.

A weapons factory in the middle of Berlin is not inevitable

MERA25 Berlin is using its campaign for the September 20 district council elections to challenge the normalisation of arms production and military spending. 

It must be made clear that Berlin should not support what it describes as war and genocide, and instead should invest in the security and wellbeing of its residents.

The action around the Pierburg plant is part of a bigger battle over who gets to shape the city’s future.

“Standing up for people and fighting for their rights requires radical measures,” says MERA25 candidate Ceren Witkiewicz. 

“We do not need minor improvements to a system that serves only the interests of capital. That is why we must fight for a fundamental change in the status quo – in the parliaments and on the streets. We have made this clear with the new ‘war weapons ban zone’.”

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