"Siemens warns of dangers of xenophobia after violent protests in Germany", 5 Sep 2018

The engineering company sent a letter to its 4,300 employees in the German state of Saxony on Tuesday, encouraging them to combat xenophobia and defend Germany's reputation for tolerance. 

"It is time ... to stand up for tolerance and compassion and to speak out against xenophobia and discrimination," top regional executives wrote... 

The intervention by Siemens is a rare example of corporate activism by a major European company... 

Germany has been rocked by a series of protests and counter-demonstrations after a German-Cuban man was allegedly killed by an Iraqi and a Syrian in the eastern city of Chemnitz...

Siemens managers said they rejected the aims of protesters, writing that fairness, tolerance, respect and dialogue are as important to its business as engineering expertise...

The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the events in Chemnitz were "unacceptable from the point of view of the German economy." 

Eric Schweitzer, president of the business lobby, said that xenophobia and nationalism damage the reputation of Germany. 

"German companies are active around the world and therefore rely ... on being welcome in other countries of the world," he said...