BERLIN (Reuters) -Protesters opposed to Tesla’s expansion of its plant near Berlin were holding out in trees on Tuesday as German police sought to clear their forested camp.
In May, the protesters clashed with police as some attempted to storm the facility, which is the U.S. electric vehicle maker’s only European gigafactory and employs some 12,000 staff.
Police said in a statement on Tuesday that criminal offences and violations of assembly regulations, including resisting a police operation, had meant that the security of the Tesla site could no longer be guaranteed.
Led by the Disrupt Tesla group, protesters argue that plans to double the factory’s size will damage the environment.
Tesla did not reply to a request for comment from Reuters.
Although some protesters had left of their own accord after police announced the clearance on Tuesday, the police said “there are currently still people in trees and rope structures” and the effort to clear the camp was therefore ongoing.
Disrupt Tesla had called in a post on social media platform X on Monday for mass protests against “the destruction by Tesla and Elon Musk to protect forests and water”.
It has not commented on the site’s clearance by police on Tuesday and its website is not accessible.
Protesters have, in the past, also disrupted the surrounding area by blocking a nearby motorway and interrupting the rail service by sitting on the tracks.
(Reporting by Friederike Heine; editing by Jason Neely and Alexander Smith)
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