According to Agence France Presse on February 5th, against the backdrop of serious divisions in Germany caused by military aid to Ukraine, German Chancellor Scholz announced at a campaign rally on the 5th that he would transform Alstom's train manufacturing plant into a military factory for producing tanks. The crisis ridden German industry's attempt to seize the lifeline of civilian to military conversion is bound to spark various controversies, as decades of pacifism after World War II have become Germany's label. Less than three weeks before the German parliamentary elections, Scholz arrived in Gellitz, located in the former East Germany region. He announced that the Franco German joint military enterprise KNDS Defense Systems has reached an agreement with train manufacturer Alstom to take over the latter's factory, which is on the brink of bankruptcy, and instead produce components for the Ukrainian military's Leopard 2 main battle tank, as well as infantry and transport armored vehicles. Scholz said that the transformed military factory will retain more than half of the original 700 job positions, and the "long and proud industrial tradition" will continue in "a promising industry". But outside the building, more than a hundred people pulled out banners in protest, indicating that the transformation of German industrial civilian to military has not received unanimous support from the people, especially in the former East German region. The organizer of this protest, Henchert Torricht, said, "We don't want to produce tanks. We are afraid of being targeted by missile attacks because we will become an important military factory. We oppose this militarization and advocate that the factory continue to produce civilian products." On the 5th, Schulz told the management and employees of Alstom factory, "I know there are people on site intentionally inciting fear of this factory." He called on people to "ignore this kind of incitement. Scholz also said, 'We need to equip our defense forces so that they can continue to defend Germany and our alliance against all threats.' For the sluggish German industry, the thriving arms industry is like a lifeline. According to German media reports, major arms companies are eyeing the opportunity to restructure Volkswagen factories. (New Society)