As many as 800 protesters gathered close to the Tesla factory in Germany’s Berlin city on Friday to demonstrate against the expansion plan, media reports said.
The protesters clashed with the police when they attempted to break into the factory.
Disrupt, a coalition of self-declared anti-capitalist groups that organised the protest, said in a statement: “There are currently 800 activists on the Tesla Gigafactory site as part of the Disrupt Tesla Action Days. Through creative forms of action, they show that this place could be different. While the Tesla area at Neuhardenberg airfield has been blocked for hours, the Gigafactory has now also been opened up by activists.”
“The activists show that their concern is not to stop production for a weekend, but rather to prevent the factory expansion and initiate a traffic turnaround. A road blockade with 50 activists blocks the path and thus protects the activists on the factory premises,” the statement said.
Police said they prevented the demonstrators from entering Tesla’s plant.
Ole Becker, a Disrupt spokesperson, said in a statement: “Here, activists are highlighting the Tesla Group as being responsible for groundwater temptation, theft of resources and the endangerment of people globally. From the strikes by migrant workers against Ford in the 1970s to the blockades of Castor transport: what sets people apart is the will and courage to fight for change.”
Anticipating crowds gathering outside the plant to protest, Tesla reportedly shut the factory to all employees on Friday.
