Car industry Police pull Tesla opponents from trees at protest camp in Germany

The forest near a car factory near Berlin is being investigated for explosive ordnance. Part of the protest camp of environmental activists is affected. But the Tesla opponents are not leaving voluntarily.

The police are taking action against forest occupiers in a protest camp near the Tesla car factory in Grünheide near Berlin because of a planned search for explosive ordnance. Height rescuers took some Tesla opponents from their tree houses because they refused to leave the site for the duration of the planned work. The police also spoke of dangerous actions by the activists at great heights between the trees and are preparing for a prolonged operation.

The Tesla opponents are opposing an expansion of the car manufacturer's only European factory, which is run by Elon Musk. According to the police, the environmental activists are to vacate part of the camp they set up in February for a certain period of time because the area is to be investigated for explosive ordnance at the request of the municipality of Grünheide. In the summer, two World War II bombs had already been found and detonated in a controlled manner on the site of the planned Tesla expansion.

A police spokeswoman spoke of massive resistance to the operation. According to the police, however, this was not an eviction directed against the forest occupation itself. The environmental activists could return after the explosive ordnance investigation.

SDA