Topline
Protesters tried to gain access to Tesla’s factory near Berlin resulting in multiple arrests in the latest demonstrations against the car maker’s plans to expand the facility, according to local police and media reports.
GRUENHEIDE, GERMANY - MAY 10: Police confront environmental activists in a forest near the Tesla ... [+]
Key Facts
The Brandenburg Police Department confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that multiple people attempted to gain access to the Tesla factory, but disputed initial reports that protesters had succeeded, claiming police had “been able to prevent them from entering so far.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the facility’s senior director, Andre Thierig, similarly confirmed that protesters did not get on site despite the clashes with police, with Musk tweeting “protesters did not manage to break through the fenceline.”
German media outlet Die Welt reported hundreds of protesters demonstrated near the property, citing a police spokesperson who reported one injury and several arrests.
Photos and video from the scene show protesters clashing with police and rushing toward the facility, which has been the subject of previous protest activity over a proposed expansion opposed by environmental activists.
A spokesperson for the group Disrupt Tesla, Lucia Mende, told WIRED there had been multiple arrests, but claimed that hundreds of protesters had indeed gained access to the facility, despite police’s denials.
On X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to a post about the protests noting “why do the police let the left-wing protesters off so easily?” though it was not immediately clear what specifically Musk was referring to or whether the arrested protesters had been released.
Key Background
Tesla opened its so-called gigafactory in 2022 near Berlin and has since planned a significant expansion to increase its battery storage capacity. But the plans have drawn the ire of environmental activists angry that the expansion would clear swathes of nearby forests. Local residents voted against the expansion and environmental activist groups have taken significant action to protest the plant, including by occupying the nearby forests. In March, a suspected arson attack at the site set fire to a transformer and temporarily cut the plant’s power. Friday’s protests had been expected—the company had instructed all of its employees to stay home and shut down production for the day with the protests looming, according to CNN.
Chief Critic
Musk previously lashed out at the protesters after they set fire to the transformer. On X, he wrote: “These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals,” and argued that “stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm.”
