Demonstrators try to break into Tesla's plant in Germany.
"At present, around 800 demonstrators are gathered outside Tesla's Gigafactory as part of the 'Disrupt Tesla Action Days' movement, according to the organizer. As per Reuters, certain protesters tried to force their way into the factory. A protester was arrested, according to the news source. Ole Becker, a Disrupt representative, informed CNN that 'it was a good day for activists. Unfortunately, we witnessed a lot of police violence.' He further mentioned, 'I saw a lot of injured people... I haven't seen anything like this in years.' Neither Tesla nor the state of Brandenburg's police have responded to CNN's inquiry for a comment. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted: 'Protesters failed to break through the fence line. Both fence lines around the factory are still intact.'
Disrupt opposes Musk's plans to substantially increase production at Tesla's only European factory, arguing that this expansion would negatively affect the environment in the area. The group claims that the increase in production would necessitate clearing vast tracts of surrounding forest and would put further pressure on the local water resources. Disrupt planned a four-day protest series, which commenced on Wednesday.
To quell these protests, Tesla has temporarily closed the factory for all employees. The shutdown of the plant's production lines for this day was initially scheduled in January, as stated by RTL, citing a Tesla representative. However, due to the ongoing demonstrations, Tesla decided to order all other staff to stay away from the facility as well.
In March, Tesla was required to shut down the factory for a period of a week. This time, it wasn't for protests; instead, a high-voltage pylon conveying power to the factory was set alight. The far-left group M'( )uleven declared responsibility for the arson incident.
Brandenburg's police department warned on Wednesday of 'extensive operations' planned, adding that it would be reinforced with assistance from federal and other state police forces. They clarified that while they anticipated a tranquil outcome, they also prepared for 'disruptive protests and conduct typical of such gatherings' and that they would take decisive action if there were any criminal activities. The department said: 'If crimes are perpetrated, the police will respond promptly.'"
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Source: edition.cnn.com
