#Fire #shuts #Tesla #factory #leftwing #extremists #claim #responsibility #Economy
By our economics editors
Mar 5, 2024 at 2:20 PM Update: 24 minutes ago
A left-wing extremist activist group has claimed responsibility for an arson attack at a Tesla factory near Berlin. According to Vulkangruppe, it was an act of protest against the car manufacturer, which had to halt production on Tuesday.
The fire in an electricity pole near the factory was discovered on Tuesday morning. As a result of the fire, the power went out, and the factory was evacuated.
The fire brigade arrived on site to extinguish the fire. The police are investigating the incident. After consultation with the local power provider, Tesla has concluded that production cannot be resumed quickly.
“We sabotaged Tesla today,” Vulkangruppe wrote in a letter obtained by the news agency DPA. Tesla is under fire for allegedly exceeding wastewater limits at its factory in the eastern state of Brandenburg.
Campaigners are also demonstrating against the expansion plans of the Tesla factory, which will require cutting down part of the forest. Protesters have occupied the forest next to the car factory since last week. Local residents have also spoken out against the expansion.
The German factory site covers 300 hectares, but Tesla wants to add 170 hectares to that. This space would be needed for, among other things, a train station for goods supply, storage halls and a childcare center for employees’ children. Tesla produces around 300,000 cars on site annually, but wants to increase production capacity to 1 million.
In a response to X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk calls the perpetrators “the dumbest eco-warriors in the world or puppets of those without good climate goals”. “It is extremely stupid to shut down the production of electric vehicles instead of fossil vehicles,” Musk said.
Beeld: picture alliance
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