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PROTESTS

Demonstrators throw bottles at police in Berlin on eve of May Day protests

Demonstrators at a left-wing women's demonstration in Berlin threw bottles and firecrackers at the police on Sunday evening, a German news agency photographer and the police reported.

Published: 1 May 2023 11:02 CEST
Take back the night demonstration in berlin with a pink banner
People take part in the left-wing 'Take Back The Night' demonstration in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Demonstrators threw bottles and firecrackers at the police during the demo on 30th April, 2023. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Fabian Sommer

While a traditional procession of left-wing groups passed peacefully through the Berlin district of Wedding on Sunday, there were violent altercations between police officers and protesters during a further left-wing demonstration in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

a crowd of protesters at a take back the night demonstration in berlin, some with flares

Protesters set off firecrackers and flares at the demonstration. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Fabian Sommer

Police officers on the fringes of the Take Back The Night demonstration, which protests violence against women, in Berlin-Kreuzberg were repeatedly hit and kicked, a police spokesperson told German news agency DPA.

 

protesters and police at a take back the night demonstration in berlin. some protesters try to hide their faces with umbrellas

Some protesters try to protect their privacy with umbrellas. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Fabian Sommer

At least one woman was arrested.

According to the police, the mood was aggressive with demonstrators setting off firecrackers and flares and chanting “the whole of Berlin hates the police”.

They said around 3,300 demonstrators took part, with 3,400 police officers on duty that day.

police deal with a masked protester at a take back the night demonstration in berlin

Police carry away masked protesters. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Fabian Sommer

Numerous demonstrations are also always held on May Day itself.

In Berlin, the police’s main focus will be on the usual “Revolutionary 1st of May Demonstrations” of left and radical left groups from Neukölln to Kreuzberg, which have seen outbreaks of violence in the past.

The police are expecting 10,000 to 15,000 participants and have 6,300 officers on duty.

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BERLIN

Tesla’s factory near Berlin gets approval for extension despite protests

Tesla has confirmed its plans to extend its production site outside Berlin had been approved, overcoming opposition from residents and environmental activists.

Published: 17 May 2024 08:54 CEST
Tesla's factory near Berlin gets approval for extension despite protests

The US electric car manufacturer said on Thursday it was “extremely pleased” that local officials in the town of Grünheide, where the factory is located, had voted to approve the extension.

Tesla opened the plant – its only production location in Europe – in 2022 at the end of a tumultuous two-year approval and construction process.

The carmaker had to clear a series of administrative and legal hurdles before production could begin at the site, including complaints from locals about the site’s environmental impact.

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

Plans to double capacity to produce a million cars a year at the site, which employs some 12,000 people, were announced in 2023.

The plant, which already occupies around 300 hectares (740 acres), was set to be expanded by a further 170 hectares.

But Tesla had to scale back its ambitions to grow the already massive site after locals opposed the plan in a non-binding poll.

The entrance to the Tesla factory in Brandenburg.

The entrance to the Tesla factory in Brandenburg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Lutz Deckwerth

Their concerns included deforestation required for the expansion, the plant’s high water consumption, and an increase in road traffic in the area.

In the new proposal, Tesla has scrapped plans for logistics and storage centres and on-site employee facilities, while leaving more of the surrounding forest standing.

Thursday’s council vote in Grünheide drew strong interest from residents and was picketed by protestors opposing the extension, according to German media.

Protests against the plant have increased since February, and in March the plant was forced to halt production following a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines claimed by a far-left group.

Activists have also built makeshift treehouses in the woodland around the factory to block the expansion, and environmentalists gathered earlier this month in their hundreds at the factory to protest the enlargement plans.

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