Written by Cláudio Afonso | [email protected] | LinkedIn | X
Protestors are storming Tesla’s Gigafactory near Berlin on Friday, in a five-day protest against the carmaker’s regional expansion. Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacted to the protests questioning the absence of arrests for the activists trespassing on the company’s property.
“Why are they not jailed for breaking and entering?,” Musk wrote.
The production at the factory is currently shutdown as Tesla halted production from Thursday to Sunday, affecting only one production day as Thursday was a bank holiday in Germany.
Footage of the protesters is being shared this Friday on social media platforms showing hundreds of participants trying to enter Tesla’s area as others block access roads to the factory.
Tesla’s GigaBerlin manager, André Thierig, clarified on X that protester were not able to enter on site thanks to the police and the security team from Tesla.
“People did not manage to get on site! Fence lines stayed intact! Thanks to Brandenburg Police and Tesla security,” Thierig wrote.
Activists also attempted to block the former airfield in Neuhardenberg on Friday, where Tesla cars are temporarily parked, adding to the tensions surrounding the company’s operations. The police reported the ignition of pyrotechnics, intensifying concerns over the security situation.
Dozens of protester have been arrested so far , with a significant police presence both in front of the factory and in the area of Grünheide. Police have deployed water cannons within the factory premises.
Despite their attempts, activists have so far been unsuccessful in gaining access to the Tesla factory, according to a police spokesperson.
NEVER MISS AN UPDATE
Some demonstrators diverted from the march behind Fangschleuse train station, disappearing into nearby forests, local media rbb reported. Others have blocked access roads leading to the Tesla factory. The remainder of the protesters have gathered for a vigil outside the factory.
The police has closed exit Freienbrink — the closest autobahn exit to the factory— and surrounding roads near the plant. Additionally, the railway line between Berlin and Frankfurt (Oder) at Fangschleuse station has also been closed due to activists occupying the tracks, according to police reports.
Tesla plans to expand Giga Berlin’s premises by 170 hectares, doubling the facility’s production capacity to 1 million units a year. Despite this ambition, residents of the German town of Grünheide voted against the expansion in a survey earlier this year.
Tesla Giga Berlin is already a prominent feature in Grünheide, a town of 9,000 people near Berlin, Germany and has a current annual production capacity of 500,000 units.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | [email protected] | LinkedIn | X
