Ingar Solty’s 8. May in Berlin: Between Militarization and Student Protest

On 8 May, Ingar Solty experienced a day in Berlin that encapsulated the tension between militarization and resistance. Overhearing two armaments managers on the S-Bahn near Alexanderplatz, he later spoke on the radio about militarization and attended a student demonstration against conscription. The article contrasts the courage required for the Wehrpflicht-Schulstreik with that of Fridays for Future, noting the financial success of arms companies since the eve of the Ukraine war. Solty highlights that a German arms firm, once obscure, is now a major player, with its stock surging hundreds of percentage points, outperforming US giants like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing. Financial portals describe these developments as exceeding analyst expectations.