Hello dear peace activists.
My name is Christopher.
I'm coming off the night shift at the airport where you're all marching to.
Thank you very much for preparing this.
Thank you very much for doing this.
As airport workers, it is also very important to us
that our work, of which we are so proud,
- we conduct global trade there and connect the world -
that this work does not serve the war effort.
That our hands
do not serve war.
In this sense, from many of my colleagues, as well
who are not here today because of the night shift, from my department
from the off-load, which I represent
as a shop steward from the Verdi trade union,
also from many others:
Solidarity greetings to you here today.
A few years ago, there was also a leaflet
by militant ver.di activists who said
that our work should not serve the war effort.
You are holding a demonstration at an airport,
where this is already an issue!
Where it is also well known.
And with us in the off-load,
a department where containers are unloaded from airplanes,
we open them, take the parcels out with our hands,
we lift these containers that weight up to six tonnes with our hands
and then we also see what's inside.
And I know from my work,
I had packages from Rheinmetall, for example
in my hands, and then you really feel bad.
You don't really want to transport that!
The other day in a container
there was a note and I then looked
if it was a consignment note so that it could be forwarded.
But no, it was just information.
This container had increased priority
because it contained military goods, and that's just not acceptable,
that something like that is even prioritised!
Somewhere in the world wars are then fought with it
and we're supposed to even
process it faster in order to fight these wars more efficiently.
So I am really strongly opposed to that.
And I hope that this movement here today
sends a very strong signal, that it begins today and continues to march on.
We are making this first march today,
but I hope that there will be many more,
that this peace movement will also become established,
that more and more colleagues from our airport,
where, thanks to you, this has now become a much bigger issue,
that this topic continues to be discussed,
that more and more colleagues are also joining in.
Because we cannot rely on
DHL somehow coming to the realisation
That they will stop delivering these weapons.
For them, it's a huge business.
There are more and more wars,
there are more and more things that are also nice and heavy.
You can make really good money with that,
especially if they're in a hurry...
And that we trust in our own strength.
Because I also know from other countries, such as Greece and Italy,
that there are ports that simply close down!
We'll be shut down if they know there are containers here,
they're also going to Israel, they're going to war.
Personally, I hope that we can get there too.
That you can do your work there with a clear conscience .
Finally, two more things:
Firstly, things we have discussed
or demands that I am now bringing to the table.
One is: Workers don't shoot at workers.
That is very important to us.
And the other is, perhaps also as a slogan:
‘No transport for genocide’
Danke.