Accompanied by a large police force, the demonstrators, 2,000 according to the organizers, brandished banners with different inscriptions such as “for a better life beyond capitalism”, with a drawing of a Tesla car burning, or ” Grünheide says no thanks Tesla.”
According to an AFP videographer on site, small fights between some activists and police officers took place at the very beginning of the demonstration but after a few minutes, the situation calmed down. Coming from a collective of environmental protection associations, including Extinction Rebellion, Nabu and Robin des Bois, the demonstrators began a long weekend of actions on Wednesday, notably establishing a camp not far from the factory.
On Friday, several of them tried to enter the Tesla site but the police pushed them back. A police spokesperson reported injuries on both sides.
“Elon Musk’s bogus capitalist solutions”
Since February, environmental activists have regularly protested against the Tesla factory expansion project. They call for security of “water supply” and “real climate protection”, protesting against Elon Musk’s “phony capitalist solutions”.
The American billionaire wants to expand the Gruenheide factory by 170 hectares in order to double production, to reach one million electric vehicles per year. This “Gigafactory”, Tesla’s only one in Europe, already occupies around 300 hectares, on which around 12,000 people work. This is where the “Model Y”, Tesla’s flagship SUV for the European market, comes from.
The project has angered environmentalists and residents, who are worried about the surrounding forest and the water table, or an increase in road traffic in the region. A local referendum was opposed by 60%, but was only advisory.