Environmental activists are continuing their protest against US car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide. Local representatives had previously voted in favor of expanding the factory site.
The protest camp against the factory of US electric car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide can stay longer. The police allowed the occupation in the state forest to continue beyond Whit Monday. The gathering has been extended, a police spokesperson told the German Press Agency. The “Stop Tesla” alliance had requested this. “We are staying,” said a spokesperson for the alliance. “We are preparing to be here for the longer term.” The protest is legitimate.
On Thursday, the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) of Berlin-Brandenburg rejected a complaint from the Brandenburg police. The complaint concerned the conditions for the protest camp, which included the dismantling of the tree houses. The Potsdam Administrative Court had previously ruled in favor of the protest camp and put the conditions on hold. The police lodged an appeal against this. The activists see environmental risks with the car factory, which Tesla rejects. They are also opposed to an expansion of the factory site.
Opponents of the expansion are exploring legal means against the development plan. “A lawyer has been hired,” said state chairman Björn Ellner. “We will first examine what points of attack we have.” It is unclear whether associations or initiatives will join the lawsuit. Company boss Elon Musk's only European factory has been the subject of sharp criticism from environmentalists and residents since it was built. Tesla rejects the concerns.
On Thursday, the majority of Grünheide's municipal representatives approved the controversial development plan for an expansion of the factory site to build a freight station and logistics areas. Forest is to be cleared for this purpose – but less than previously planned. Almost two-thirds of Grünheide's residents rejected the car manufacturer's original expansion plans in a survey in February. A compromise then called for just under 50 hectares of forest to be cleared instead of more than 100 hectares. The car manufacturer Tesla points out that more than 70 hectares of forest will now be preserved and that the freight station will relieve the region of truck traffic.
The environmental association Green League fears negative consequences for the environment. “The forest, which is not to be cleared, is part of the development plan,” said the regional manager of the Green League Brandenburg, Michael Ganschow. “A forest conversion would be possible at any time and could not be prevented.” He accuses the local council of having ignored the citizens' decision in the survey. “This is a disservice to democracy – they bear sole responsibility for this.” Ganschow also pointed out that the freight station, which is intended to relieve truck traffic, was already planned in development plan 13 for the existing factory site.
Around 12,000 people work at the Tesla plant in Grünheide near Berlin, which opened more than two years ago. Part of the site is in a water protection area. Since the end of February, environmental activists have been protesting against Tesla near the plant in Grünheide. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the Brandenburg state government see the settlement as a gain for the state.
On March 5, as yet unknown perpetrators set fire to a power pole that is part of the Tesla factory's power supply. This led to a power outage and car production was put on hold for several days. More than a week ago, activists tried to storm the Tesla site. The police were able to prevent this.
Tesla has even more plans: The company wants to expand the factory on the existing site according to previous plans and double production from the targeted 500,000 cars per year to one million.
