Up to 800 activists convened outside Tesla’s factory near Berlin on Friday to protest the company’s expansion plans, resulting in clashes with law enforcement as some attempted to breach the premises.
“Currently, there are 800 activists on the Tesla Gigafactory site as part of the Disrupt Tesla Action Days,” stated Disrupt, a coalition of self-declared anti-capitalist groups spearheading the protest, on its website.
According to police officials’ press release on Friday, individuals from the protest march made a dash through the forest towards the Tesla company grounds, momentarily disrupting traffic on a nearby railroad. Law enforcement also thwarted the protesters’ attempt to infiltrate the Tesla premises.
Ole Becker, a Disrupt spokesperson, “It was a significant day for activists. Unfortunately, we witnessed a lot of police violence,” he continued, “I witnessed numerous injuries… I have witnessed things today which I haven’t seen for many years.”
However, CEO Elon Musk addressed the situation in a post on X, stating, “Protesters did not manage to break through the fence line. There are still two intact fence lines all around (the factory).”
Disrupt contends that Musk’s intentions to more than double the production capacity of Tesla’s sole European factory would harm the local environment.
They argue that the expansion necessitates clearing large portions of the surrounding forest and would exacerbate pressure on local water resources. The group had scheduled four days of protests beginning on Wednesday.
In anticipation of demonstrations against the planned expansion, Tesla shuttered the factory to all employees on Friday. Although a halt in production lines for this Friday had been announced in January, Tesla decided all other workers at the factory should also remain home, considering the protests.
In early March, Tesla faced another disruption when the plant was forced to close for a week after a high-voltage electricity pylon supplying power to the factory was set ablaze. A faction of far-left activists claimed responsibility for the arson.
Law enforcement in Brandenburg stated on Wednesday that they had made extensive preparations for operations, with support from federal police and several other state police forces.
They emphasized readiness for potential disruptions or criminal activities associated with such gatherings, asserting they would intervene decisively if crimes occurred.
