Declaration against right-wing extremism:
CEOs of the capital region take a joint stand

Business leaders in Berlin and Brandenburg condemn right-wing extremist activities and agitation | "We need openness instead of isolationism"   

Berlin, February 1, 2024 - In a joint declaration, around 40 of the top executives from the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region involved in the VBKI CEOs for Berlin forum have taken a stand against right-wing extremism. The statement reads: "Right-wing extremist activities and agitation threaten social cohesion as well as the fundamental values of our community - our freedom, our rule of law and our democracy." The spread of racist and misanthropic ideas causes enormous damage to the reputation of the location.

The signatories include Wolf-Dieter Adloch, CEO of the Dussmann Group, Harald Eisenach, Chairman of the Regional Management East Deutsche Bank, Georg Friedrichs, CEO of GASAG, Dr. Sabine Gilliam, Chairwoman of the Management Board Pfizer Germany, Martina Hacker, Managing Director KPM Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur, Dr. Harald Hasselmann, CEO Eckert & Ziegler, Philipp Justus, Country Manager Germany & VP Central Europe Google Germany, Stefan Kapferer, CEO 50Hertz, Prof. Dr. Heyo K. Kroemer, CEO Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Aletta von Massenbach, CEO Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Jure Mikolčić, CEO Stadler Germany, Dr. Sigrid Nikutta, Board Member Freight Transport Deutsche Bahn, CEO DB Cargo, Stephanie Otto, CEO Berliner Stadtreinigungsbetriebe (BSR), Markus Voigt, CEO TREYSTA Ingenieure Holding and President of VBKI, and Larissa Zeichhardt, Managing Director LAT Funkanlagen Service. Together, the undersigned company heads are responsible for more than 580,000 employees of more than 50 nationalities.

"Our common goal is to make the attitude of large parts of the business community in Berlin and Brandenburg visible. With our declaration, we want to make it clear that hatred and hate speech have no place in our region - and are certainly not acceptable to the majority," said Prof. Dr. Jörg Ritter, coordinator of the CEOs for Berlin forum and member of the VBKI Executive Committee.

The Berlin-Brandenburg business location stands for cosmopolitanism, tolerance and diversity, the declaration continues. "People from 170 nations live together peacefully here and contribute to the economic development of our region every day. Without the coexistence of people from different backgrounds, our community would not only be culturally poorer - prosperity and jobs would also be at risk."

The companies organized in the VBKI CEOs for Berlin forum since 2019 together employ almost 30% of Berlin's workforce and account for more than half of the economic power in the metropolitan region. The aim of the more than 1o0 personalities involved in the forum is to facilitate a solution-oriented exchange "at eye level" with political decision-makers. The joint declaration was signed on the fringes of a discussion event with Franziska Giffey, Berlin's Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.