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TapTechNews reported on May 12th that over 1000 environmental activists participated in a protest march against Tesla's electric car factory located on the outskirts of Grünheide, near Berlin. The day before, there were clashes and arrests during the protest.
The protesters marched from a nearby train station to Elon Musk's only Tesla production base in Europe in Grünheide. The event was organized by multiple groups to raise awareness about the environmental impact of electric car production and to criticize other car manufacturers.
Some protesters chanted slogans such as Protect our water resources! and tensions rose on Friday during clashes between police and protesters.
Lucia Mende, spokesperson for Disrupt Tesla, said before the planned demonstration, Whether it's Tesla, Volkswagen, or Mercedes, car companies and their political supporters are selling out our source of life. We must stop this, and we will.
A citizens' initiative in Grünheide accused Tesla and the Brandenburg state government of not prioritizing the interests of local residents. Spokesperson Steffen Schorcht said, They are acting alone without listening to the opinions of local residents, which only serves the interests of Tesla.
Another coalition focused on water supply issues. Tesla's luxury cars are polluting the environment worldwide and consuming scarce drinking water, said spokesperson Karolina Drzewo. She criticized the decision to expand the factory despite majority opposition in a local referendum. The alliance called for people to abandon inefficient and climate-damaging personal transportation.
TapTechNews noted that Musk responded to these criticisms on Friday night on his social media platform X: Some very strange things are happening, Tesla is the only car company under attack!
Tesla has been producing electric cars in Grünheide since 2022 and has denied environmental accusations, claiming that its water consumption has decreased and is below the industry average.
Local police were prepared for Saturday's protest. We are vigilant about this, a police spokesperson said. An exit on a nearby highway was blocked, and drivers were advised to avoid the area. The police spokesperson added that the situation remained calm on Friday night and Saturday morning.
On Friday, clashes occurred between protesters and police as demonstrators attempted to enter the Tesla factory. Pepper spray and batons were used by the police, resulting in injuries to several protesters and 21 police officers, with 16 people detained.
The Tesla factory did not operate on Friday. However, a company spokesperson stated that this was due to employees being granted a day off after a public holiday on Thursday.
Protests in Grünheide began on Wednesday and are expected to continue until Sunday. The protests target Tesla's expansion plan, which includes a freight station and requires forest clearing. Critics also raise concerns about electric car production itself.
In a public consultation in Grünheide, the majority voted against the factory expansion, leading to commitments from municipal authorities and Tesla to reduce the forest clearing area.
Protesters have set up a protest camp near the Tesla factory, occupying treehouses since late February.
Additionally, due to arson attacks on transmission towers, the Tesla Grünheide factory had to shut down for several days in March, with a left-wing extremist group claiming responsibility for the attacks.