Volkswagen's annual shareholder meeting was briefly disrupted Wednesday by protests over the company's factory in China's Xinjiang province, with a shouting, topless activist interrupting the speech by CEO Oliver Blume before she was hustled away by security personnel.
Additionally a cake-like object was thrown during a speech by board chairman Hans-Dieter Poetsch, apparently in the direction of board member Wolfgang Porsche, who represents his family's shareholding in the company, the dpa agency reported.
Photos showed a white, gooey substance resembling pastry stuck to the front of the podium behind which Porsche was sitting.
Volkswagen has said that it has found no evidence of human rights violations at its plant in China's western Xinjiang region. The Chinese government has been accused of human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur population in the region, including forced labor in detention camps. The U.S. State Department has described China's actions in the region as genocide.
Police also stopped an attempt by climate protesters to glue themselves to the ground on the square outside the meeting.
The shareholder meeting in Berlin resumed after a brief intermission.
Tim Bohen dives into the 'Trump Trade,' renewed tariffs, waning uncertainty, corporate guidance, and what the Fed’s next move means for traders and markets.
Wall Street icon Peter Tuchman dives into Apex Trader Funding’s partnership with Wall Street Global Trading Academy and what it means for the next-gen trader.
Matthew Frankel, contributing analyst at The Motley Fool, discusses the recent SPAC resurgence, investor interest, and what the data says about their future.
Axios’ Neil Irwin unpacks the political clash as the White House explores legal pathways to dismiss Fed Chair Powell, threatening central bank independence.
Shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder joins us to talk Navy diving, bull sharks, and his wild return in Air Jaws and more during Discovery’s Shark Week!