B&T Respond to Catastrophic Factory Fire Attack
On 29 October, B&T’s facilities in Thun, Switzerland were badly damaged by a suspected arson attack. B&T’s main building, flagship store, and indoor shooting range were impacted. Local police have called for witnesses and continue to investigate. B&T have shared some photos of the fire and its aftermath.
B&T have now released a statement on the attack, read it in full below:
“The recent events, including the destruction of our operational facilities, have deeply affected us. They have caused substantial damage and placed an extraordinary burden on our company and our employees.
Our message to those responsible for these acts is clear and unequivocal:
You can damage or destroy our buildings. You can destroy our machinery, equipment and materials. You can inflict enormous financial losses upon us. You can threaten our management and attempt to intimidate and discredit us and our entire industry.
But there is one thing you will never achieve: bringing B&T and our industry to their knees!
Because you cannot destroy what truly defines B&T: our people, our knowledge, our experience, our passion, our convictions and our solidarity.
We have built this company over decades through hard work, perseverance and responsible entrepreneurship. We are straightforward, honest and stand by one another. We have endured difficult times, overcome challenges, solved problems and consistently found new ways forward.
And that is exactly what we will do again.
We respect differing opinions, political beliefs and the right to peaceful criticism – including criticism of our company and our industry. Open and even controversial debate is an essential part of a democratic society.
What we will never accept, however, is violence, destruction of property, threats or intimidation as a means of political or social confrontation.
No one has the right to pressure people through threats or to prevent companies from carrying out their lawful activities through violence and destruction.
We trust that the competent authorities will thoroughly investigate these events, establish responsibility and ensure that any criminal offences identified are prosecuted in accordance with the rule of law and due legal process.
Regardless of the outcome, one thing remains certain:
Our motto is, and always will be:
We stand together.
We will not be intimidated.
We will not be defeated.
We will come back stronger.
B&T is far more than buildings, machinery or material assets. B&T is a community of people who believe in their work, take responsibility and stand by one another, even in the most difficult of times.
Our strength lies not only in what we have built, but above all in the people who make this company what it is every single day.
We will overcome the damage that has been inflicted, continue our work and move forward with the same conviction and determination with which we have built B&T over the past decades.
Violence will not silence us. Threats will not deter us from our path. And destruction will not break our unity.
We have faith in the rule of law and trust that justice will prevail.
- B&T AG
This statement by B&T AG addresses the impact of recent events on the company. Determining the cause of the fire, identifying those responsible and assessing any criminal liability remain the responsibility of the competent authorities.”
For more information and to stay informed on updates, please visit https://bt-swiss.us/ or email: info@bt-swiss.us
Managing Editor: TheFirearmBlog.com & Overt Defense.com. Matt is a British historian specialising in small arms development and military history. He has written several books and for a variety of publications in both the US and UK. Matt is also runs The Armourer's Bench, a video series on historically significant small arms. Here on TFB he covers product and current military small arms news. Reach Matt at: matt@thefirearmblog.com
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Didn't they have any security? That's.... ironic.
From the statement by B&T:
This right here.
But know that on a personal level, violence will be met with violence.
The creeps responsible for this arson attack have nothing else. They have no real point, no argument from which to debate, no real intelligence. They have no sense of history, either. They seem to ignore what's right at their feet: "Give a leftist a city and soon they'll have a pile of bricks and rubble - give a conservative a pallet of bricks and soon they'll have a city."