Several people have been arrested after hundreds of climate protestors attempted to storm the Tesla Gigafactory outside of Berlin in Grunheide, which resulted in clashes with German authorities.
The Protest
Demonstrations against the Gigafactory have been ongoing since its construction, with climate activists carrying out frequent protests against Tesla and the facility itself for the environmental impact of the electric vehicle industry.
Activists have largely highlighted the environmental destruction caused by the mining of lithium, especially in South America, which is used to create electric vehicle batteries.
Likewise, the Gigafactory has been the target of protests over its water consumption, as well as water contamination and tree clearing for potential factory expansion.
Anti-Tesla activists brake through the police lines and reach the fence of Gigafactory.
My question is, why do they have umbrellas? pic.twitter.com/MczquorPR6
— Elon Musk (Parody) (@ElonMuskAOC) May 10, 2024
Speaking to Reuters, Disrupt Tesla spokesperson Ole Becker stated that “We are here today to draw attention to the Tesla factory in Grunheide for the environmental destruction here.”
Protests on Friday included blocking road and railways into the factory, which culminated into the attempted storming. German authorities and Tesla CEO Elon Musk both confirmed that protestors were prevented from beaching the facility.
Previous Attack
The Gigafactory was targeted back in March by the eco-terrorism “Volcano Group,” which carried out an arson attack against a high-voltage electricity pylon that left the facility and nearby towns without power.
At the time of the attack, Gigafactory Manager Andre Thierig told reporters that losses from the attack would be “in the high nine-digit euro range.”
A statement released by the Volcano Group after the attack echoed the same sentiment as the protesters on Friday, stating that “The Gigafactory has become known for its extreme conditions of exploitation. The factory contaminates the groundwater and consumes huge amounts of the already scarce drinking water resource for its products.”
Likewise, the group condemned lithium mining and accused Tesla of being a “symbol of “green capitalism” and a totalitarian technological attack on society,” further calling Musk a “technofascist.”
Musk responded by the attack by posting to X that “These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals,” adding that “Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm.”