On Friday, climate protestors in Germany clashed with law enforcement as they broke through police barricades near a Tesla gigafactory in Grünheide, Germany. The activists attempted to enter or made it onto the factory grounds, depending on the source. The protest was part of a planned five-day demonstration ahead of a local government vote to determine whether Tesla’s plant could expand.
On Saturday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on X expressing his surprise at the situation. He called it "super weird" that at least 800 activists stormed Tesla’s gigafactory near Berlin while protesting its expansion plans. The police used pepper spray to prevent the protestors from entering the plant. Musk further stated that something strange was going on as Tesla was the only car company attacked.
A coalition of anti-capitalist groups organised the protest, which they called "Disrupt Tesla Action Days." According to their statement on their website, 800 activists participated in the protest on the Tesla Gigafactory site. The police said they prevented the protestors from entering the Tesla factory, and Tesla had shut the plant to protect employees.
Musk informed the public that the protestors did not manage to break through the fence line. There are still two intact fence lines all around the factory.
According to Disrupt, Tesla’s plans to more than double production in Europe would damage the local environment as it would require clearing swathes of the surrounding forest and would further strain the local water supply.
Meanwhile, according to a report by tech publication Electrek, Tesla has recently laid off staff from its software, service, and engineering departments. The layoff was a result of the automaker's decision to disband its EV charging department last month, which was followed by the announcement of reducing its global workforce by over 10%. As per the report, employees of Tesla received emails over the weekend as a part of these broader layoffs.
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