"Sat on a goldmine" Jan van Aken's Rheinmetall stock story
Jan van Aken discusses his stake in Rheinmetall, a defense technology company.
Writer: Hubertus Volmer, Chemnitz
Get ready, Rheinmetall shareholders, 'cause Jan van Aken ain't here to play nice. The Left Party leader, not-so-secretly, owns a couple of Rheinmetall shares, bought eight years back with just 150 euros. You know what they say, good things come to those who wait... or buy some weapons stocks.
At a recent party conference in Chemnitz, van Aken dropped the bomb about his armor dealings. With an audacious grin, he shared the juicy details, "I bought two Rheinmetall shares eight years ago, not as an investment, I assure you. You need shares if you wanna say smart things at a shareholders' meeting or make a little nonsense."
With a twinkle in his eye, he added, "We'll keep these babies for now, the next shareholders' meeting is bound to happen, so maybe you'll hear from us then." Sounds like he's planning on causing a ruckus!
From Profit to PoliticsHe took these shares to prove a point - arms manufacturers benefit from the federal government's defense policies, plain and simple. He also spoke up about implementing an excess profits tax for these defense companies, as he found it appalling that people profit millions from the suffering of others in war-torn nations.
"I mean, I almost fell off my chair yesterday," laughed van Aken. "We made 3,200 euros from this mickey mouse investment. Two shares that cost a measly 180 euros at the time."
"Where the rich meet the poor"
Left Party parliamentary group leader Sören Pellmann echoed similar sentiments during his speech, with his focus on the constitutional amendment for the debt brake. Anticipating the new federal government's military spending prioritization, he vehemently criticized the reform of the debt brake as "unbelievably scandalous."
According to van Aken, the new coalition of Union and SPD lacks awareness regarding the struggles of the people below. He titled them as the "class enemy" in an exclusive interview.
"The border doesn't separate people based on nationality," van Aken explained, "the divide is always between the rich and the poor. It's not about theselecting between milk drinkers, the divide always stays between the rich and the poor."
A deeper divide within the Left
At the Left party conference in Chemnitz, parliamentary group leader Heidi Reichinnek and party chairwoman Ines Schwerdtner spoke. During their speeches, they primarily discussed the training of the party's numerous new members and also touched upon the topic of war and peace. Interestingly, it became apparent that a minority of delegates don't hold such hardline stances on arms buildup as the leaders of the parliamentary group and the party.
A delegate from Hesse, for instance, shared that there's a growing disconnect within the party regarding matters of war and peace. "I've seen an excessive fixation on beliefs, increasingly detached from reality," she claimed. "The repeated calls for rearmament stem from the genuine issue of the Russian attack on Ukraine."
This standpoint, however, remains in the minority within the Left. The resolution passed by the delegates on Friday night declared, "Fears are intentionally stoked up through the claim that Russia could soon attack NATO territory." It further stated, "the alleged struggle between autocracy and democracy is merely a transparent narrative to suggest the necessity of excessive rearmament to the population."
Sources: ntv.de
- The Left
- German Defense Policy
- Friedrich Merz
- Chemnitz
- Party Conference
- Jan van Aken, leader of the Left Party, purchased two shares of Rheinmetall eight years ago for 150 euros, using them to make a statement about defense policy and arms manufacturing profits.
- Van Aken has said he will use the next shareholders' meeting to cause a ruckus, hinting at his intention to criticize the company's military roles.
- Sören Pellmann, the Left party's parliamentary group leader, has also spoken out, criticizing the reform of the debt brake and the new federal government's military spending prioritization.
- Van Aken believes that the divide between the rich and the poor is more significant than the one based on nationality, and that the new coalition lacks awareness regarding the struggles of the people.
- At the Left party conference, it became apparent that a minority of delegates have a different perspective on arms buildup and peace, with some expressing concerns about the Russian attack on Ukraine.
- The resolution passed by the delegates stated that fears about Russia attacking NATO territory are intentionally stoked up and that the alleged struggle between autocracy and democracy is merely a narrative used to justify excessive rearmament.
- This approach to defense policy and the stark divide within the Left Party reflects a larger discussion about politics, policy-and-legislation, business, finance, stock-market, general-news, and the impact of war-and-conflicts on employment policy and vocational training.
