As many as 800 activists gathered outside Tesla’s factory near Berlin Friday to protest its expansion plans, and some of them clashed with police as they attempted to break into the plant.
“There are currently 800 activists on the Tesla Gigafactory site as part of the Disrupt Tesla Action Days,” Disrupt, a coalition of self-declared anti-capitalist groups that organized the protest, said in a statement on its website.
According to Reuters, some of the protesters attempted to storm the factory. At least one protester was detained, Reuters reported.
Ole Becker, a Disrupt spokesperson, told CNN: “It was a good day for activists. We saw a lot of police violence unfortunately,” he added. “I saw a lot of injured people… I have seen things today which I haven’t seen for many years.”
Neither Tesla (TSLA) nor police in the German state of Brandenburg, where the plant is located, have responded to a CNN request for comment.
But Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote in a post on X Friday: “Protesters did not manage to break through the fence line. There are still two intact fence lines all around (the factory).”
Disrupt argues that Musk’s plans to more than double the production capacity of Tesla’s only factory in Europe would damage the local environment.
The group says the expansion would require clearing swathes of the surrounding forest and would further strain local water supply. It has planned four days of protests, which started Wednesday.
Demonstrators voiced concerns about environmental impact, labor conditions, and community engagement. Additionally, some protesters demanded transparency and accountability from Tesla management.
read more
image source
