独ＶＷ株主総会に抗議デモ、監査役にケーキ投げ付け

【ベルリンＡＦＰ＝時事】独ベルリンで１０日、自動車大手フォルクスワーゲン（ＶＷ）の年次株主総会に人権侵害や気候変動対策に抗議する活動家が乱入し、議事が一時中断するなどの混乱が生じた。（写真はＶＷのヴォルフガング・ポルシェ監査役）
　会場前にも環境活動家らが集結し、原材料調達から廃棄・リサイクルまでに排出される温室効果ガスの排出量を二酸化炭素（ＣＯ２）に換算した「カーボンフットプリント（ＣＦＰ）」の削減を求めた。環境保護団体「サイエンティスト・レベリオン」は「科学は明快だ。ＶＷの自動車販売計画による（ＣＯ２）排出量は地球の限界を超えている」とのメッセージを掲げた。
　会場内では、同日８０歳の誕生日を迎えたヴォルフガング・ポルシェ監査役にケーキが投げ付けられ、議事が中断。オリバー・ブルーメ最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）の演説中には、トップレスの女性が乱入し、中国・新疆ウイグル自治区での事業を批判した。
　ＶＷは、中国自動車大手、上海汽車集団との合弁事業で操業するウイグル自治区にある工場での人権侵害に目をつぶっていると批判されている。しかし、ＶＷは同自治区の関連工場での強制労働疑惑を否定している。
　デモを受け、ＶＷは「建設的な対話が重要だ。株主総会はその良い機会だ」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/05/11-15:50）

Activists hurled cake at Volkswagen bosses on Wednesday, as the German carmaker's annual shareholders' meeting was disrupted by protests over human rights and climate change.
Outside the hall where the event was taking place in Berlin, climate protesters gathered to put pressure on Europe's largest car manufacturer to reduce its carbon footprint.
The science is clear: the emissions from Volkswagen's planned car sales are beyond planetary limits, was the message held up by activists from the group Scientist Rebellion.
Inside, the meeting itself was interrupted when cake was aimed at Wolfgang Porsche, who sits on Volkswagen's supervisory board and celebrated his 80th birthday Wednesday.
A topless woman also interrupted the speech given by Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume to criticise the group's operations in the Chinese region of Xinjiang.
Activists accuse Volkswagen of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in the region, where the group has a factory with Chinese partner company SAIC.
China's Communist Party is accused of detaining over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the far-western region as part of a years-long crackdown, as well as running labour camps.
China vehemently denies the abuse allegations, while Volkswagen has also rejected suggestions forced labour is used in its factories.
A constructive dialogue is important. And a general meeting offers a good opportunity for this, the company said in response to the protests.
Among shareholders, some lamented Volkswagen's poor stock market performance despite record profit margins and the drop in sales in China, a key market for the group, where it is facing increasingly stiff competition from local car manufacturers.