Germany: More than a thousand environmental protesters gather again at the Tesla plant near Berlin

The opposition is not dying out. More than a thousand environmental protesters demonstrated again on Saturday against Tesla’s plan to expand its electric vehicle plant, established from 2022, in Grünheide, about thirty kilometers southeast of Berlin, according to police.

Accompanied by a heavy police presence, the activists, numbering 2,000 according to organizers, waved banners with various messages such as “for a better life outside capitalism,” a picture of a burning Tesla car, and “Grünheide says: no thanks, Tesla.” Small scuffles between some activists and police broke out early in the demonstration, but the situation calmed down after a few minutes, an AFP videographer said.

Demonstrators representing a collective of environmental groups including Extinction Rebellion, Nabu and Robin des Bois on Wednesday began a long weekend of protests, including camping near the plant.

“The people who live here are losing their livelihoods because they no longer have drinking water, the quality of the water is deteriorating,” said 49-year-old activist Katya Kühn. Overall, we also know that we don’t need more electric vehicles, but we do need to think about our mobility in a completely different way. »

The referendum opposed the project

On Friday, several protesters tried to enter Tesla’s premises but were pushed back by police. A police spokesman reported injuries on both sides.

Since February, environmental activists have regularly protested against the Tesla plant expansion project. They call for “water security” and “real climate protection” while protesting Elon Musk’s “phony capitalist solutions.” The American billionaire wants to expand the Grünheide plant by 170 hectares to double production and reach one million electric vehicles per year.

The project has irritated environmentalists and local residents who are concerned about the health of the surrounding forest and groundwater levels or even increased traffic in the region. 60% were against the local referendum, but it was only advisory in nature. This “Gigafactory”, the only Tesla in Europe, already occupies about 300 hectares, employing about 12,000 people. This is where the Model Y, Tesla’s flagship SUV for the European market, was born.

In early March, a fire on a power pole, claimed by a small far-left group, shut down the factory for several days. A week after the sabotage, Tesla CEO Elon Musk came to “support” the plant employees and attack the perpetrators of the fire, whom he called “eco-terrorists.”