The protest against the US electric car manufacturer Tesla is expected to continue after days of action in Grünheide near Berlin. With the conclusion of days of action, a camp near company boss Elon Musk’s only European car factory was dismantled on Sunday. However, some alliances announced further actions or wanted to reserve this option for themselves.
The Grünheide municipal council is expected to discuss the planned expansion of the Tesla site on Thursday. A protest camp in the forest also remains. On Saturday there were clashes between activists and the police during a protest march.
The alliance “Turn off the tap from Tesla” will be present on Thursday, said spokeswoman Karolina Drzewo on Sunday, referring to the community representatives. The “Stop Tesla” initiative also wants to continue. The “water occupation” at Fangschleuse station will remain in place, said spokeswoman Caro Weber. The “Disrupt Tesla” initiative is keeping further protests open. If, contrary to the citizen survey, the local council votes for an expansion, “Disrupt Tesla” will definitely come back,” said spokeswoman Lucia Mende.
Around 12,000 people work in the car factory in Brandenburg, which has been producing electric cars for around two years. It is partly in the water protection area. The activists wanted to use days of action to warn of environmental dangers. The police were in Grünheide with a large contingent.
Clashes at protest demo
On Saturday, around 2,000 people took part in a protest march to the car factory, according to the “Turn Off the Tap to Tesla” alliance. The police said there were more than 1,000 participants. There were clashes with the police and fireworks were set off. During the altercation, the officers used “simple physical force,” police said. One person was taken into custody. The police took four reports, among other things, for violating the assembly law. An officer was slightly injured. Overall, the demonstration went off without any major disruptions.
On Friday there was turmoil on the edge of the Tesla factory site. Several activists tried to enter the area, but the police stopped them. The police used pepper spray and batons.
“This system doesn’t care whether it’s Tesla, VW or Mercedes – car companies and their political supporters are responsible for selling off our livelihoods,” said the “Disrupt Tesla” spokeswoman. She accused the police of using violence. The “Turn off the tap from Tesla” alliance sees threats to groundwater and calls for a move away from “climate-damaging private transport”. The citizens’ initiative Grünheide is of the opinion that Tesla and the Brandenburg state government do not pay enough attention to the interests of the people in the region. “You get through it,” said spokesman Steffen Schorcht.
Planned expansion is controversial
Tesla wants to expand its premises to build a freight yard, storage space and a company kindergarten. According to previous plans, around 100 hectares of forest would have had to be cleared to achieve this. In a survey, however, a clear majority of Grünheide’s citizens spoke out against the expansion. The community then proposed that only 50 hectares of forest be cleared. On Thursday, community representatives will discuss the development plan.
The car maker also wants to expand production – from 500,000 cars a year, which has not yet been reached, to a million cars. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) hopes for an expansion. Brandenburg has great economic growth, said Scholz on Saturday during a panel discussion with the Editorial Network Germany (RND) with a view to Tesla. “It’s controversial, as we see, but I hope it will double its production even further.”
Elon Musk is surprised
Tesla boss Elon Musk was irritated by the protests. “Something very strange is happening because Tesla was the only car company to be attacked!” he wrote on the X portal. The company always rejected allegations of water pollution and pointed out that water consumption was below the industry average.
The company did not produce on Friday – but according to a spokeswoman, that was on the bridge day after the Ascension Day holiday. After an arson attack on a power pole, Tesla had to stop production in Grünheide for a few days in March. A left-wing extremist group claimed responsibility for the crime.