German police reported on Friday that they successfully stopped hundreds of protesters from invading Tesla's factory near Berlin. The demonstrators had gathered near the Grunheide factory, Tesla's sole European production facility, carrying banners denouncing the plant's water usage and promoting public transportation over personal vehicles. Activists have been protesting near the factory since February, due to concerns regarding water resources and deforestation for the plant's expansion.
In March, an arson attack on an electricity pylon, attributed to a far-left group, caused a week-long power outage at the factory, disrupting production. Tesla's CEO Elon Musk criticized the perpetrators as "eco-terrorists" and argued that targeting electric vehicle production was misdirected compared to fossil fuel-powered vehicles. During the recent protest at a nearby train station, participants attempted to access the Tesla site by running into the forest, but police prevented their entry.
A spokesperson for 'Disrupt Tesla', one of the protest organizers, accused companies like Tesla of prioritizing profit over environmental conservation and advocated for investing in public transportation instead of luxury vehicles.
