Tesla tells its German factory: Fearing demonstrators will gather outside the gates to oppose an expansion, Tesla has announced that its factory in Berlin will close on Friday. The decision was made to extend the shutdown to all employees on what was originally slated as a production shutdown day, in anticipation of the demonstrations.
Elon Musk wants to increase output at Tesla’s sole European facility by a factor of two, but the anti-capitalist alliance Disrupt has planned rallies to stop him. Some people are worried about the impact on the local water supply and the destruction of nearby forests.
After Wednesday’s late shift, production will stop at the plant until Sunday’s night shift. According to a company email sent to staff, access to the site would be limited unless managers give explicit consent.
The factory is located in the German state of Brandenburg, and the police there are gearing up for massive operations in anticipation of both nonviolent protests and more violent demonstrations. This is in continuation of a comparable disturbance that occurred at the beginning of March, when protesters from the extreme left allegedly set fire to a power pole that supplied the facility with electricity.
Citing environmental concerns relating to resource usage, specifically the mining of lithium for EV batteries, Disrupt contends that electric cars are not a solution to phasing out carbon-emitting combustion engines. From Thursday through Sunday, there will be no public transit to or from the plant due to the planned protests.
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