the environment magazine. w. philosopher and pop star. adored and despised. karl marx icon of communism. a man of revolution and class struck a man whose ideas change the world but also to. how relevant is he today. and what influence does he have on politics and general culture. on the two hundredth anniversary of his birth the judgment tree marx and his heirs on g.w. .

i think. here in northern germany the german armed forces the bundeswehr is holding its open day. fun and games for the entire family say the organizers and a chance for the arms industry to show off its web ads especially for munitions john trine metal there is hardly a german weapons project that does not involve crime and top. the german company goes back a long way and this is one of its main there cations like. five thousand kilometers away balms are being dropped on civilians in a war that makes a mockery of international law and despite apparently strict export rules run the town is making a killing out of it. says quite rapidly that the cities are expanding.

they are all getting past mrs wall it will drop to the bottom this is an infamous game with dubious rules in terms of legality ethics and morality what would you call that. german technology and expertise are being used to deal in death we have to do all we can to stop this justify. every two years the british capital attracts military delegations from around the world they come to the london docklands to attend the d.s. . fact that countries may be at war with each other but here they can bury the hatchet while they buy new weapons. one of the biggest stands of the trade

fam belongs to ron mittal germany's leading arms manufacturer would just hold off base company sells three billion euros worth of military equipment tanks cannons simulation systems guns and ammunition. shall most for mortar launchers soft tillery guns tanks and old ones on display like precious museum exhibits looking so shiny and pretty that an observer could forget that these instruments of dad. many of those inside all familiar with this man on the outside andrew feinstein international arms trade expert and former south african parliamentarian he's not allowed in fortunately my name is well known to you organizes off the office for and so i'm never granted a credit station to come inside the sphere since he uncovered a huge arms scandal in his country he has been operating from london on his own.

safety is research also focuses on german arms exports germany plays a role through the export of weapons especially into regions that are unstable where there is conflict where there is repression. most obviously to day the middle east and plays a role in ensuring that those conflicts are remarkably bloody. like the campaign in yemen it was originally touted as a short aerial intervention led by saudi arabia to defeat the militias who were allegedly terrorizing the country. more than a thousand days later there's been no sign of a let up who thieves have put up stiffer resistance than expected and the saudis and their allies have responded by raising much of yemen to the ground they bombed schools hospitals and residential areas they destroyed infrastructure and apparently aim to starve the country into submission it's a war that's claimed thousands of lives and led to

a humanitarian catastrophe. going by the book the german arms industry should have nothing to do with this war. for example it is forbidden by german law to export arms to countries where they can be used to disturb the peace. as the german security and defense industry we completely accept that it's all for titles or slaves. but there are ways and means to turn a profit there all the same one of those ways is by an island in the mediterranean familiar to many germans as a holiday destination. mado

pilly is one of santonio is best known politicians he was regional president before he was elected to the italian parliament in rum a politician who conducts a lot of his research personally including research into ryan met top. it all began just over two years ago when he got a tip off that something incredible was happening at kalyani apple to have planes full of vacationers land and take off. that these days that this area here was full of bombs it was quite a show of course the people who saw it got excited that the countless bombs being loaded onto a cargo plane the demand on our courses for them the moment that he got then they took out of. the cell photos of the operation the weapons of war being loaded up next to the tourist carriers. u.s.

general purpose bombs from the mach eighty series being loaded onto a plane belonging to silk way and azerbaijani and one that specializes in transporting weapons to crisis hit regions. what was going on. we've got his boss haven't got the only answer i got was from the operators of the airport evil yaml who said that all the flights were authorized that they don't these but chief no further details both liberal and i asked the same question in parliament and was told the same thing that isn't that it but the flights were authorized. this was official confirmation that bombs were being transported by the transport of the bomb but the bombs are assembled here in rural sa dania about forty five kilometers west of kalyani. in a valley near the town of goma snow bus is an unassuming looking factory that makes bombs by the thousands. it belongs to

a company called w.-m. italia the abbreviation stands for ryan mittal weapon and munition and it is a one hundred percent subsidiary of german manufacturer run mittal. but it kept the days this is a german factory on italian territory that makes a deadly product. bombs that are sold all over the world by a measurement here germany is exploiting it disadvantaged area this will just something with its high unemployment. arms are being manufactured for huge profits but a brute i did not is what is happening in this area. when it gets to that was what i thought. but where of the bombs made by ryan mittal insaan tinea deployed in twenty fifteen an employee of the ngo human rights watch snapped these photographs of bomb components. they were found in

sabah in northern yemen a city with a population of fifty thousand shortly after a saudi bombing raid. the italian island of sardinia. when queried ryan mittal in total golf admitted that the n.s.a. and code thirteen twenty five fifteen one five zero fifty eight twenty full indicates that it was made by w.-m. italia gradually a coherent picture is emerging he seems just request of ha obviously lots of people said nothing yeah i know first the government in rome. then the regional government and anyone else who knew what was going on. because factory was always used to make explosives but they were used for civilian purposes ok the plant used to supply the local mines that once existed here in sardinia. but at some stage the factory was

repurposed more or less secretly. kwesi. central bubblin in may twenty seventeen protest does take to the streets to demonstrate against ron metal as it holds its annual shareholders meeting. despite not let's be clear i never buy shares in. run mattel to make a profit is guilty of complicity with arms exports and with murder throughout the world they. come out oh major lotto works for an italian foundation he is part of a network that buys run metal shanties not for the dividend but to ask difficult questions such as held a meetings he has heard them run metal plans to invest heavily in its factory in sardinia. to me to get a frog these i would like to ask why these facilities are being expended in don't us not us. we read that there is going to be

a new testing range we don't understand exactly what is going on what is being tested and what for which weapons. and where are these weapons being exported to. these have often exposed to it. that previous annual meetings are run mental photographs were allowed these are from twenty fifteen. they show rahmatullah chairman baca and behind him the other directors and supervisory board members now photos are prohibited when the chairman gets up to talk business his message to this meeting all the trends point to growth especially for rye matal defense the weapons. sales of almost three billion euros in twenty sixteen fourteen percent year on year growth and the new order for munitions to the tune of four hundred nine eleven

million euros. the destination is in one of the most conflict torn regions in the world the middle east and north africa right mittal won't say exactly which country has placed the order. be fun what did you make of the numbers. at the moment the company is in good shape and it was all very correct and democratic. perfect but would you do well the dividend is not bad at all it's certainly better than the interest the local bank pays it doesn't all the you that balms may buy rahmatullah being used in yemen at least it doesn't bother me. that's the wrong question have bombs are being dropped there it's not right mattel dropping them. how was the shareholders meeting it was good good but what did you like in particular because the whole atmosphere the whole package is i'm tight we thought what did you make of the numbers they presented. yes promising sorry i have to catch my bus to some was

does it bother you the palms made by rahmatullah being dropped in yemen. does not everything is put to the right news but there are positives to buy for now qantas. moto major lotto now has confirmation that the plantain soft india is growing in importance for run mittal. you flog a new but you know they answered some of our questions about plans to expand the plant and don't most know of us so i'm just shocked that they said they would invest seventeen to twenty million euros in two thousand and seventeen and the same again in two thousand and eighteen. also a deal to be. almost no of us is a small town with high unemployment and the dwindling population business is booming for one fun run meant bomb factory.

it is dramatic this is a business based on death. the more people are killed the more weapons are bought and the more you kill the more weapons you need it's a perverse mechanism that a democratic state should not tolerate neither for moral nor economic reasons. but how come the small town in. solve unsolved india play such a big role in the international arms trade let's take a look at a complicated contract from twenty twelve that formed the basis for a major export do. the saudi arabian defense ministry orders bombs from us from raytheon its british subsidiary subcontracts the rye mattel subsidiary w.-m. italia to produce them contract is worth more than sixty three million euro years. the order was delivered from dormice nov us to jeddah islamic seaport from where it

was taken to the end customer the royal saudi air force this contract ran until mid twenty seventeen and covered thousands of m.k. eighty three bombs. since the start of the saudi a campaign in yemen in twenty fifteen at the very latest it has been doubtful whether the arms exports are in line with italian law. is that the deep vein these are sales to a country at war to a conflict that has been condemned by the united nations a numerous occasions the italian constitution which condemns war and a law on arms exports totally prohibit this kind of export. how is it possible for ryan mittal to export bombs from soundin into saudi arabia nonetheless

when asked the italian defense minister said it had nothing to do with. these are not italian bonds they are covered by a contract signed by a us firm that subcontracted a german firm. that company has factories in italy. that numerous written queries to the italian government. who then is responsible for the bombs exported by germany's biggest oms manufacturer. in berlin the federal security council meets in secret to decide what. can go ahead made the chancellor an important minister bases its decisions on the government's political principles which say supplying weapons of war shall not be approved to countries involved in conflict or when there is a danger of such a conflict breaking out. a flexible principle as the latest figures show twenty

seventeen the german government did indeed approve oms exports to some countries that don't meet the requirements german companies exported munitions worth four hundred twenty eight million euros to egypt two hundred forty nine million euros worth to saudi arabia two hundred fourteen million to the united arab emirates in the late one nine hundred eighty s. when helmut kohl was chancellor his defense minister of the christian democratic union was a member of the federal security council form a law professor knows the legal and political ramifications of exports. it's a grey area here's one example. to saudi arabia intended for police border controls that has nothing to do with the military or military purposes however if the intention is to deploy them for military purposes they do need approval according

to legislation governing the weapons of war in other words it's a grey area. grey area or not there should be no question of exports to saudi arabia for the war in yemen. if arms can be used or intended for use in wars of aggression or for measures that would to. the piece as the law stipulates then the federal german government is duty bound to refuse to approve their export time the german economic ministry has to say about the bomb sold by iran mittal in the matter you describe the assumption is that the export of arms took place from italy in this regard german law petain certainly to arms exports from germany very easy for the german authorities to say these particular munitions and equipment are being produced in italy their responsibility of the italians to regulate the italians on the other hand. and therefore will assume that the germans are

regulating them and it is in this way that the global trade in weapons remains less regulated than the global trade in bananas. some deals were approved by neither the italian nor the german government run the town has found another way around the regulations this time by south africa. since the days of apartheid the country has had a powerful arms industry with close ties to politicians. one of the few politicians who lost critical questions about this is copus marais of the opposition party democratic alliance in twenty sixteen he learned that an entire turnkey arms factory had been exported to saudi arabia. we were concerned that you know

says saudi arabia has got a good record in terms of human rights and suppression of human rights especially women and then you know the perception that they are supporting isis and even some rebel forces in yemen and other countries it is in conflict zones and we were concerned that whatever gets manufactured they will you know can be used directly or in directly in those in those areas the government did not respond to questions about reportedly unchecked use of the arms factory which added to my raise concern. that we're not convinced at all i think it's as stated in the in a previous in earlier that when anything can be used and sometimes in the future so it's a saudi company now so it makes it even more difficult to monitor and control because they would tell us probably i suspect but be doing is not good nothing to do with

you we don't use your products to manufacture anything. despite the fact that the original plant. was manufactured and installed. fifty kilometers east of cape town on the way to the somerset west township is the headquarters of the company that built the factory it's a huge complex with tight security a site of national strategic importance which is why filming is actually prohibited to watch transparent a familiar blue logo bastion of rime atop this branch is called the now munition audi m m presents itself as a premium manufacturing. precision.

battle tested you see where every detail to see. when it's mission critical there is no. compromise. this is where the should stay and. there ultimately were. some transmissions for. shooters right little to no munition oddie aim is may need an export driven company and they are one of the most successful companies into africa they have got to turn off of billions. every year they employ two thousand people and they all crying at quite a normal right some day factories all even running double shifts because they're also busy. one of staff because success stories on the defense industry side of.

the story began a decade ago when ron motown started a joint venture with a state run south african company then now. in two thousand and eight two for middle forces joint south african and the now and germany's run matal defense efficiency and quality meant. the mission was but there have been constant scandals around the nail. the whole of south africa's military infrastructure is constantly embroiled in scandal so its origins. and its practices since then have remained criminal to be in partnership with a company that is a state owned enterprise in south africa means that you are effectively

engaging in the corruption that is taking place in the south african state today. we are back in northern germany in a village of three thousand five hundred residents one to loose is the nerve center of rhyme a business with bombs and bullets it's also home to the biggest shooting range in europe this is where the subsidiary on which owns the plant in sardinia in south africa is headquartered. people here don't like to talk about ron metals dodgy dealings abroad as. much as the town mayor it's my job to look after the interests of the municipality of suit and we're very happy to have a company like ryan matel with so many jobs is to be here for. the economic factor for our community is very important. to his. the manner of

suit haida to which i want to list belongs i'm the chairman of the local council agree that run my town's activities already questioned. anyone and i'm afraid i cannot help you on that i am very very rarely hear criticism in this constitute but there is one place in known to list when reiman does come in for criticism the local church one sunday in june the lutheran church is peace commissioner has come to to lend his support to the local pastor. and also had i'm an outsider i've just come from had a very traditional for the local parish pastor it's a sensitive issue for me because many in his community work there. we have to make clear that we have a position against this. that will be the challenge of today's service without rejecting the people themselves don't mean what you mention it.

i have told. nailed to the cross the deathlike piece itself sacrificed sold nailed to the cross. yes we christians are always good and developed to keep our head down and stay out of trouble that's the best way to get through life one of the suspects to see i have a lot of respect for anyone attending today's service it is difficult for the parish pastor so it is difficult because many people i don't know if they are here today even rely on the factory for a living still if we think something is wrong we must draw the consequences of consequences. that's easier said than done for many people in a town that has been producing arms for nearly one hundred twenty years and where the church until the one nine hundred ninety s. was called the soldiers' memorial church the. decision to rename

this church the peace church didn't go down well with everyone. who left the church because of it. period the local christian democrats say the church's position is not their business. and. visiting with meat in my opinion it's the church's business this is the for us it's important to have a strong economy here and to creating keep jobs to encourage people to live here. and live the folk whom here fault the town of going to loose is proud of this company. and as long as it obeys the law we don't have a problem with it was a listen basically made so. much of. us based in loose as a majority stake in the plant in somerset west what it produces that is covered by south africa. in theory africa has very.

can be exported in imported and it is first keep track of all the items that go in and out of the country but the problem with that is that there is no record at all of things like factories cities that all exported so we've seen. two to which countries are exporting nation factories exporting entire factories is an important aspect of body m's business strategy. or impressive product portfolio includes the comprehensive artillery suite in the world we also empower our clients with to keep plant engineering solutions. in all. says

it has exported a total of thirty nine arms factories the german boss of the ryan metal subsidiary panels the fact that these factories are now clients to make that went. it's. it is hard to find out who the customers being. africa actually are. what is known is that the ryman town subsidiary was involved in the construction of a factory in the united arab emirates and the one in saudi arabia. a group of syrian hackers released confidential documents including a secret document on a bid for a filling plant each shift was to produce hundreds of shells and mortars as well as bombs of the types m.k. eighty two eighty four and warheads for launch missiles. the document appears real with a trove of technical details on plans for

a turnkey factory. it's incredibly dangerous because if a german company is not controlling production how do they know walking norms of being it hit in this production process they were affectively sold the production process. they effectively saying especially if it's into a region like the middle east they're effectively saying do what you want. via sardinia and south africa germany's run mental examining the military coalition in yemen with bombs from the mediterranean china factories from cape town saudi arabia united arab emirates are among the customers and egypt as we discovered where an arms factory is on the completion. egypt a country where hopes for democracy after the arab spring were put down with guns about tom's went dissidents simply disappear. where the military has seized back

power and general abdel fattah el-sisi rules with an iron fist. if it's especially in the city as the man in charge of egypt is mr el see seen too many compatriots say is even worse than mubarak egypt is also taking part in the yemen war by helping with marine patrols i don't think we should accept this so it's effectively undermining south africa's democracy at the same time as being able to get weapons into destinations that might be completely undemocratic that might be engaged in conflict. we wanted to ask about the allegations and find out about all the other factories but nobody wanted to talk with german media insisting that it was a south african company but it belongs to a german company flies a german flag at the factory gate and has

a german box name nor that shows. the right metal headquarters and does hold off was also unwilling to tell us what countries its foreign subsidiaries export to the press department issued a statement saying exports by r.d.m. from south africa a carrier. in accordance with the country's laws we cannot comment on possible customer relations for reasons of competition and in part due to contractual obligations. to use its foreign activities to circumvent german regulations we spoke to the industry federation. of the federation of the german security and defense industry. our first priority is german arms exports which keeps us busy and will do so in the future. issues with the previous government and we expect to have them with the next while. other countries where companies operate either alone or as part of joint ventures have other rules i can't tell from here whether they

exploit that. is also president of the federation he declined several invitations to take part in an interview for this report. a presentation on the strategic targets of the arms of munitions division reveals the thinking behind the overseas activities wants to free the company from german export regulations and ensure profitability the two key locations are. projected to reach the one hundred million euro mark in the medium term and south africa. during crease annual sales to two hundred fifty million euros. toward the business of death is growing and the fact that it's not happening here at the wars

are taking place somewhere else does not make it any better everyone on this planet has to live with the consequences of these wars while leaders talk of fences and walls i find that unacceptable and it must be stopped. in this township in the a me. percentage of the rhine metal dead now munition plant investment from germany is most welcome in the battle with massive unemployment in. thinking. that it is critically important that we have to look at ways to create jobs. but obviously in a sustainable way that is what rudd matal promises in south africa as it plays the nice oms john that does something for poor communities equipping schools even donating chemistry sets. it will even get children to be able to do hands on experiments themselves instead of just looking at the pictures and it takes an

expecting them to actually understand when it's a practical experiment. very practical edgy have a successful. i feel like a real saint is i'd like to see thank you to the combine of the brain and i would really appreciate what they've done for us with going to the states many things in the conflict we now everything is going to be is we're going to achieve results better than before we see think you think if there's a match we will be with you. in the years to come. right mattel will spend a tiny percentage of the profits they're making in south africa on improving their public image the reality is. the products that this company is in africa. in many parts of including the middle east.

and the company does not appear to have any scruples about. in an armed conflict. and its allies in the yemeni factories it seems the company also wants to make money. enemy iran which is on the other side in the war in yemen the united nations security council block the sale of air defense missiles from south africa called. subsidiary supplies of the propellant. we wanted to find out what germany's leaders have to say about the country's largest arms manufacturer trying to evade german laws we asked every single member of the federal security council from the last legislature for an interview it's the committee that decides. which is being circumvented by tom germany's leading

politicians were not willing to comment on the issue. the same goes for those who moved from politics to. form a german development minister. is now the company's chief. defense minister. recently joined the run metal supervisor. would give us an interview. germany are incredibly close to the government because they play a role in. defense. policy and. they would claim in their public relations. which they are treated differently to most other private companies. frank from germany's financial hub is where stocks are listed the share prices shot up thanks

to the money made by south africa. in january twenty seventh. just on the sixty five euros each climbing to almost ninety by media and almost one hundred ten euros by the end of the year that's a rise of more than seventy percent within a year. many analysts recommend investing in. it's like this more conflicts equals a greater need for security more defense expenditure this is indeed that's the chain. and in general the arms companies in different ways depending on what's in demand will profit from that. motion to hold us probably don't even know that they profit when ryan mittal sells bombs to

crisis regions investors with money in the day confound for example the fund which belongs to germany's banks is one of the biggest shareholders of brian met tom equity or people with money and allianz clovelly investors one major fund did recently decide to divest its run mental shasta. an exception. as long as the majority of investors aren't interested it will only play a minor role for the share price. is a way out right maybe but people keep on investing in it. because it's maybe the state has to intervene it will. we joined parliamentarian model b. lee on his way to collieries contain

a pole in search of sardinians run metal box. he has found clues as to who ordered four hundred eleven million euros worth of munitions from ryan metallics italian subsidiary are w.-m. italian saudi arabia. but the government that they've essentially changed their strategy they used to fly the bombs out now the ships. we knew that this was the best place from which to take photos of the secret operations with the with no ban on cameras. from here we recorded what actually happened because of the usually eighteen containers a month were loaded up with one thousand to one thousand five hundred bombs. but i said to me let me get your question. from them and tell me that they were mainly transported by saudi arabian ships

three or four belonging to the battery shipping company that was a dock and load up the saudis evidently decided to run the transport themselves additional funding for. the military coalition in yemen needs a lot of bombs by the end of twenty seventeen saudi arabia and its allies had flown more than fifteen thousand air raids according to international experts almost a third of those raids that civilian targets. it's a profitable war even for small investors with shares in germany's biggest arms manufacturer a company that breaks free of german law that manufactures in countries with laxer export rules that finds ways to sell its austin all of destruction in crisis regions with no questions asked is this something society and politicians just have to accept in this era. of globalization no say legal experts and analysts at the

german parliament the bundestag recently concluded that the law could stipulate that german authorities must give their approval if german citizens abroad help develop will produce arms such a law would at least make it more difficult. but there is no majority for a step like that in the bundestag. to now run metals business is completely within the law or in germany a country that prides itself on its lofty principles. how

the germans came together in one nation from shanda money to chancellor although fun bismarck in. the history of the germans has been shaped like a great lawyers. i swell always to bring my loyalty card to the left to protect christendom scran find truth. if you please mum took a seat. we took all the baggage of enemy lives and steered by courageous decisions close to the town halls this week oh dear master researcher see the crown of our room from god not from his presumptuous servant.

this whole hour from him. tomorrow we're going to fugitive enemy ill will never see one another again cause. we must pull jeepneys. odd. place to start may thirteenth on t.w. going to. play.

this is deja news live from the immigration scandal brings down britain's interior minister amber grogs resigning all for admitting she misled lawmakers over targets for removing illegal migrants to polish it is a major blow to the conservative government will be getting the latest in just a second to mark karr's fall in love. also on this program u.s. .