Environmental activists occupying a forest close to Tesla's factory near Berlin said they want to stop the electric vehicle maker's German expansion plans and protect local groundwater.
Tesla wants to expand its factory in Gruenheide, southeast of the capital, by 1.7 square kilometers and boost production up to one million vehicles annually. But the environmental group Robin Wood, one of the protest organizers, said the plans "threaten the drinking water supply for the entire region."
Activists have camped out in tree-tops in part of the forest Tesla needs to raise to expand its only site in Europe. By making it difficult for authorities to dislodge protestors from their perch, the activists' tactics are intended to impede the expansion works.
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"Local people here are having their water stolen. And where the raw materials for cars come from, people face exploitation," said Paul Eisfeld, an activist and spokesman for the protest.
An environmental activist makes a stand in Gruenheide to protest against Tesla expansion. /Tobias Schwarz/AFP
Organizers also said they were backing local residents, with more than 60 percent voting against the Tesla project in a recent non-binding poll.
Tesla's Gruenheide factory opened in 2022 after an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles. The original plant's massive demand for water was a sore point for residents in an area that has been hit by summer droughts in recent years.
"There will be no end of deforestation here, because this is just the beginning. This forest is largely in a drinking water protection area and for me it is a no-go," said local campaigner Manu Hoyer, who has been active in the opposition to the Tesla plant since 2019.
"If the entire infrastructure is to go here, then thousands of hectares of forest will have to be felled so that it can somehow be managed," she said.
Following the referendum result Tesla released a statement saying the plans were "a big win for the community," adding that it would "seek dialogue with all participants to decide on further steps."
The company said its goal was to "enable a significant transfer of the HGV-traffic on to rail as well as generally ensuring a speedy expansion of existing infrastructure around the factory."
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