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New Delhi
Many protesters expressed dismay to the expansion of a Tesla plant in Grünheide, near Berlin, clashed with police last week when some of them attempted to barge in the electric vehicle manufacturing facility.
Approximately 800 people were part of the protest; according to the organising group Disrupt Tesla. The group also claims the expansion would damage the environment.
Tesla has intrigued fierce backlash since the company opened the factory in March 2022, and announced plans to expand into a nearby forest to increase its production capability.
In February, the town where the factory is situated opposed the proposals in a non-legally binding referendum. Following this, demonstrators have maintained an encampment nearby as a form of protest.
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In a video, many people were seen wearing blue caps and masks coming from a nearby wooded area, attempted to storm the company’s premises while the police officers were trying to prevent them. At least one protester was detained.
The same facility was completely shut for a week in March after suspected arson disabled its power. A separate protest collective called Volcano Group took responsibility for the fire, calling for the “complete destruction of the gigafactory”.
According to Ole Becker, a spokesperson for Disrupt Tesla, the group aims to draw attention to the environmental harm caused by lithium mining in countries like Argentina or Bolivia. This mineral is crucial for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries.
“Why do the police let the leftwing protestors off so easily?” the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, wrote on his social medial platform X, adding that the demonstrators could not through. Tesla, which dissolved its press department in 2020, did not respond to request for comment.
The police confirmed that the protesters tried to enter the plant’s premises, but were stopped, with several people taken into custody, and that it received a few reports of injuries.
“We protect the freedom of assembly,” said a Brandenburg police spokesperson, Mario Heinemann, “but we are also responsible for public order and safety. That means we will also intervene when necessary.”
The police spokesperson added that some demonstrators also damaged a few Tesla cars using pyrotechnics and paint at a nearby car storage site.
Earlier this week Tesla mentioned that it would shut the factory for one day on Friday, without specifying a reason.
(With inputs from Reuters)