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CRIME

Attacks on police rise dramatically

The number of attacks on German police officers rose drastically last year, according to figures released Saturday by the federal police authority in Potsdam.

Attacks on police rise dramatically
Photo: DPA

The number of police officers who were the victims of attack rose by 58 percent from 985 in 2008 to 1,555 in 2009, the police authority revealed. The number of attackers also rose significantly to 1,228, an increase of 65 percent.

This is the most offenders since the relevant statistics were first collected in 2000. In the last three years, the number has always stayed been 700 and 800.

The number of injured policemen saw a particularly large increase, with 462 injured – 130 percent more than 2008. Reports say that most of the attacks occurred on Fridays and Saturdays, with attackers frequently under the influence of alcohol. Only a quarter of the attackers were caught.

The head of the police union (GdP) Konrad Freiberg told news magazine Der Spiegel, “Police are increasingly becoming the target for people releasing their frustration and hate.”

On Friday, the upper house of the German parliament, the Bundesrat, put its weight behind a law proposal to increase punishments for attacking police. The law, proposed by the representatives of Bavaria and Saxony, would increase the maximum punishment to three years’ imprisonment. A punishment of five years’ imprisonment is being proposed for attacks using “dangerous weapons.”

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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