Statement by B&T AG

Recent events—the destruction of our facilities—have hit us hard (Editor’s note: Click HERE for the article on the arson attack on B&T in Thun). They have caused significant damage and place an extraordinary burden on our company and our employees.

Our message to those responsible for these acts is clear and unambiguous:

You can damage or destroy our buildings. You can destroy machinery, equipment, and materials. You can inflict enormous financial damage on us. You can threaten our management and try to intimidate us and our entire industry and bring us into disrepute.

But there’s one thing you’ll never be able to do: B&T and our industry!

Because you cannot destroy what truly defines B&T: our employees, our knowledge, our experience, our passion, our convictions, and our solidarity.

We have built this company over decades through hard work, perseverance, and corporate responsibility. We are straightforward, sincere, and stand up for one another. We have weathered difficult times, overcome challenges, solved problems, and time and again found new ways forward.

And that is exactly what we will do this time as well.

We respect differing opinions, political beliefs, and the right to peaceful criticism—including criticism of our company and our industry. Open and controversial debate is part of a democratic society.

What we will never accept, however, is violence, property damage, threats, and intimidation as means of political or social debate.

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 relevant authorities will thoroughly investigate the events, determine who is responsible, and prosecute any identified criminal offenses in accordance with applicable due process under the rule of law.

Regardless of this, one thing is certain for us:

Our motto is and remains:

We stand together.

We will not be intimidated.

We will not be defeated.

We will come back.

B&T is far more than a building, machinery, or material assets. B&T is a community of people who believe in their work, take responsibility, and stand up for one another even in difficult times.

Our strength lies not only in what we have built, but above all in the people who carry this company forward every day.

We will overcome the damage caused, continue our work, and move forward into the future with the same conviction and determination with which we have built B&T over the decades.

Violence will not silence us. Threats will not divert us from our path. And destruction will not break our unity.

We have faith in our rule of law and in the fact that justice will prevail.

B&T AG

B&T AG issues this statement regarding the impact of these events on the company. Determining the cause of the fire, identifying the perpetrators, and making any criminal determinations remain the responsibility of the competent authorities.