German police said Friday they had prevented hundreds of demonstrators from storming Tesla’s factory near
Crowds of demonstrators gathered near the Grunheide factory, Tesla’s only European production base, on Friday carrying banners complaining about water consumption at the plant and advocating for public transport over private cars.
Activists have been protesting in a forest near the plant since February over concerns about water and plans to cut trees to make way for an expansion of the plant, which opened in early 2022. In March, a suspected arson attack on an electricity pylon claimed by a far-left group knocked out power supplies to the factory for nearly a week, interrupting production.
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During Friday's protest march at a nearby train station, “hundreds of participants ran into the forest and tried to get onto the
Social media footage showed black-clad protestors, many wearing medical masks, running over rough ground toward the factory boundary, and riot police using pepper spray in an attempt to turn them back.
Police said demonstrators also blocked a nearby highway and a railway line, and set off fireworks at an airfield where
Police detained several people temporarily, German news service dpa reported.
“Companies like
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