The Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, launched a public recruitment campaign in the city of Zwickau, Saxony, in October of the previous year. The campaign, which included a tram with a camouflage design, was widely reported in the local press. However, a few weeks later, a motion was submitted by the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) to the city council, calling for a ban on the public recruitment campaign. The motion was successful and the Bundeswehr is now prohibited from engaging in public recruitment in the city.
According to a report by Radio Zwickau, the ban applies to all city-owned properties, events and vehicles of municipal companies, including public transportation. The initiative was led by the BSW, which argued that the Bundeswehr’s recruitment campaign was misleading and did not reflect the reality of war. The city of Zwickau, known as the “City of Peace” has a responsibility to promote peace and prevent the glorification of war.
The debate surrounding the motion was intense, with the CDU faction arguing that the Bundeswehr’s recruitment campaign was necessary and that a ban would amount to a de facto abolition of the armed forces. The BSW, on the other hand, maintained that the campaign was misleading and that the city had a duty to promote peace.
The motion was passed with 24 in favor, 16 against and 4 abstentions. The outcome of the vote is a significant blow to the Bundeswehr’s recruitment efforts in the city. The exact timeline for the removal of the recruitment campaign from the city’s public transportation is still unclear.