Bundeswehr wants to arm drones after all

Update 20.03.2020: The BMV cancelled the event because of Corona - unfortunately not because of the completely insufficient public participation.

Let us remember

• In 2013, the German Bundestag decided to conduct a broad social debate with "detailed consideration of international law, constitutional law and ethics" before the acquisition of armed drones.
• The GroKo coalition treaty enshrines this decision in almost identical terms.
• On June 14, 2018, the SPD faction fell over again and agreed to the acquisition of 5 "armed drones" of the type Heron TP from Israel.
• Already in the fall of 2018, a magazine broadcast reported that the Bundeswehr-drones will practice with weapons  after all, and practice ammunition had already been ordered.
•  On Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January 2019, of all days, the Bundeswehr has packed its bags for deployment at the Tel Nof drone base in Israel.

Not a word about the "ethical debate" so far

After the hapless party leader and Minister of Defense had no success with her military fantasies, neither for the comprehensive deployment of the Bundeswehr in Iraq, nor with the special zone in northern Syria on the Turkish border, she now wants to press ahead with arming the Bundeswehr drones.

As can be read on the page of the Ramstein campaign, which rejects armed drones because of the involvement of the US base in Ramstein in the US drone war of "targeted killings", an "ethical debate" is now to take place according to the wishes of the Bundeswehr:

Now the invitation to an event has been sent out by the Ministry of Defence in the Bundestag. The event is called "Armed drones - political, ethical and legal aspects "Experts, representatives of civil society and members of all parliamentary groups of the German Bundestag" should thus be able to "present and discuss their positions", says State Secretary Peter Tauber in the invitation.

The event will take place at the Ministry of Defence. It remains unclear whether it will be the only or an opening event for the debate. In any case, the audience is limited to the Bundestag and the participants have also been selected by the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg) - many of those who were involved in the actions against the drones are missing. What remains is an elite discourse, garnished at best with some critical voices.

In any case, it is not a socially broad discourse. The voice of the trade unions and many other civil society organisations, which have been dealing with the topic for years, is missing - the Stop Air Base Ramstein campaign was also not asked for. And most importantly: Not a single person affected by the drone attacks sits on the podium!

Aktion Freiheit statt Angst has been working for years in the drone group of the Berlin peace movement (Friko) and in the coordination for peace. Also there was no invitation. As organizers of the exhibition of drone quilts, we can certainly contribute to the inhuman and international crimes of murder by drones, in memory of the children killed by drones.

That is why we will not accept this.
We ask you to write to the BMVg and the organizer of the event, State Secretary Peter Tauber, and to
Your MEPs and calls with us for a truly broad public debate on the arming of drones. As a first step, the Ramstein Campaign offers

The Ramstein Campaign will hold an event at the House of Citizens in Ramstein-Miesenbach, the place where it is happening. Ramstein has long been the site of drone attacks that violate international law and cause countless civilian victims. Here at Ramstein Air Base, it is easy to understand what the future of the German drone war will probably look like.

Demands that a broad social debate should include many representatives of civil society - including representatives of the Stop Air Base Ramstein campaign. Demands that a broad social debate should include many events in all major cities of the Republic.

The mumbling and politics through the back door must come to an end, the hypocritical dialogue about an armed drone of the Bundeswehr must become public. The majority of the population is against the use of armed drones. They must be given a voice and not the army commissioners, generals, military bishops and government think tanks. A real public has to come!

Read more https://www.ramstein-kampagne.eu/3-newsletter-2020-bewaffnete-drohnen-fuer-die-bundeswehr-strafanzeige-gegen-drohnenmord/

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