Under the main slogan “No Missile Factory in Leipzig,” a protest rally against the planned mass production of long-range missiles by the U.S.-Israeli Covenant defense startup was held Sept. 19 in Leipzig, Germany. The rally was 550 people strong, composed mainly of a left alliance led by the Linke and BSW parties and pro-Palestinian/anti-Netanyahu groups. Protesters made the point that Leipzig, the capital of the peaceful revolution in 1989, must not become a center of war. More protest actions are planned.

Covenant is a military startup by the Peter Thiel network, with Michael Kaufmann as its CEO and co-founder, a former manager at Thiel Capital and Thiel Macro. The other co-founder, and also chief technology officer, is Ofir Dayan, trained at the Israeli Army’s National Defense Academy. Covenant is also active in Israel with a military R&D center.