Clashes as protesters try to force entry into German Tesla plant

German police on Friday drove back several groups of environmental activists who tried to enter Tesla's factory outside of Berlin, a spokesman said.

Published: 11 May 2024 09:16 CEST

Clashes as protesters try to force entry into German Tesla plant

A banner reading "Welcome to the Utopian Gifa factory" hangs between trees where activists occupy tree huts n Gruenheide protesting against the plans of US electric carmaker Tesla. Photo: John MACDOUGALL/AFP.

The spokesman said there were injuries among protesters and police but could not provide figures.

Activists have been protesting plans to expand the factory, which opened in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

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

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares (420 acres) and boost production by 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 site in Gruenheide, southeast of the German capital, is near a protected forest and there are concerns about water use.

Local residents voted against the project in a non-binding ballot in February.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick, 49, began his protest in early March under the motto “Starving until you tell the truth”, and has since been joined by three other activists.

He and his fellow protesters want Chancellor Olaf Scholz to acknowledge that “the climate catastrophe threatens the survival of human civilisation” and are calling for a “radical change of course” to reduce emissions in Europe’s largest economy.

Metzeler-Kick, an environmental protection engineer and longtime activist, told AFP he was willing “to put (his) life in danger”.

He stopped eating 62 days ago and wants to go further: “I’m going to intensify my hunger strike. As of tomorrow, I will temporarily stop drinking,” he said.

Richard Cluse, a 57-year-old engineer, joined the protest 44 days ago, and Michael Winter, a 61-year-old biologist, joined after 22 days.

A fourth activist, Adrien Lack, 34, joined on Tuesday with a placard reading: “I will only talk to the chancellor.”

A doctor told a press conference on Tuesday that Winter was in a “very critical” condition and his body mass index had fallen below 16 kg/m2 — considered severely underweight.

Climate activists have resorted to some eye-catching stunts to get their message across in Germany over the past two years.

Protesters from the radical group known as Letzte Generation (“Last Generation”) have repeatedly sat down on busy roads and glued their hands to the tarmac.

Protesters have also thrown mashed potatoes over a Claude Monet painting in Potsdam and glued themselves to an exhibition of a dinosaur skeleton at Berlin’s Natural History Museum.