The tree houses in the protest camp against the expansion plans of the electric car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide are allowed to remain. The administrative court in Potsdam rejected the police’s corresponding requirements on Tuesday. Clearing the camp at Tesla’s only car factory in Europe is therefore not possible for the time being.
According to the court’s reasoning, the “general considerations regarding the incompatibility of the protest camp, including the tree houses, with nature conservation and building law regulations for the danger forecast required under assembly law” were not sufficient. The assembly authority also did not deal “to the extent necessary” with the fact that freedom of assembly is protected by fundamental rights. An appeal against the decision to the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court is still possible.
The requirements were presented last Friday by Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU). In addition to dismantling the tree houses, they stipulated a strict ban on entering the buildings. The activists rejected this and took action against the requirements with an urgent application to the administrative court, which in turn froze the requirements until the decision on Tuesday.
Around 80 activists are currently occupying part of a forest at the electric car manufacturer’s factory. Their goal is to prevent the forest area from being cleared as part of a planned expansion of the site, including the freight station. They set up camp at the end of February. A majority of the citizens of Grünheide voted against expanding the factory in a public survey. In the conflict, the community of Grünheide is proposing to clear only about half of the forest.
The police justified the request to dismantle the tree houses with a high potential risk for the people in the camp. The activists rejected this because the tree houses were an essential part of their protest. Interior Minister Stübgen said on Friday that violations of the requirements could result in an end to the meeting. He avoided the term “eviction.”
The activists had registered the camp as a political meeting like a demonstration. Such events are subject to the right of assembly and do not require special approval from the police. However, they can be prohibited or subject to conditions under certain circumstances.
