Originally published in the Autumn 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 75, printed November 6. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Autumn 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

By Danielle DiBlasio

It has been announced by partners Live Nation and Red Light Ventures that Richmond’s new amphitheater, to be located next to the American Civil War Museum by the James River, will be named Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront, after the venue’s title sponsor, Allianz Partners.

Allianz is an international insurance firm headquartered in Germany, with a large local office at 9950 Mayland Drive in Henrico County. The announcement of the sponsorship deal came much to the dismay of local activists, who have decried the relationship between Allianz and Israeli weapons firm Elbit Systems.

Elbit is Israel’s number one arms manufacturer. Per the company’s own website: “As the premier artillery supplier to the Israel Defense Forces, Elbit Systems offers a comprehensive array of fully-integrated artillery solutions that incorporate smart technology, automatic laying and loading capacity, Fire Control Systems (FCS), and modular weapon products.”

Weapons fragments recovered in the aftermath of strikes confirm that these weapons have been used in assaults on civilians in both Gaza and Lebanon.

A 2021 report by San Francisco-based research group CorpWatch pointed out that Allianz was invested to the tune of $5.1 billion in Elbit Systems. Allianz offices in England, Ireland and Wales have been the target of protests due to the company’s investment in Elbit.

This is not the first time the amphitheater project has come under scrutiny. In January 2023, community members voiced concern to Richmond City Council about the removal of historical markers from the project site.

Located at 470 Tredegar St., the land once was home to Tredegar Iron Works, a company that relied on the labor of some 200 enslaved people, who also lived there in slave quarters.

The markers that commemorated the enslaved workers were researched and installed by the American Civil War Museum. Those involved in their installation noted that, in 2020, NewMarket Corporation, which owns the property, removed the markers in order to do landscaping. They were not reinstalled.

When museum staff asked about their whereabouts, they were told the markers were held in a warehouse.

NewMarket is a developer and manufacturer of petroleum additives.