Tesla plant protesters hold out in trees as German police clear camp

By Oliver Barth and Stefan Remter

GRUENHEIDE, Germany (Reuters) -Protesters opposed to Tesla (NASDAQ:)’s expansion of its plant near Berlin were holding out in treehouses on Tuesday as German police climbed up ladders and cut down rope structures in an attempt to clear their forested camp.

In May, the protesters clashed with police as some attempted to storm the facility, which is the U.S. electric vehicle maker’s only European gigafactory and employs some 12,000 staff.

Police said on Tuesday that criminal offences and violations of assembly regulations, including resisting a police operation, had meant the security of the Tesla site could no longer be guaranteed.

Led by the Disrupt Tesla group, protesters argue that plans to double the factory’s size will damage the environment.

“There are still people in the trees here who are resisting,” said Mila, a spokesperson for the protest camp.

“The situation is of course dangerous, slippery in terms of safety, it’s raining and it’s freezing cold all day. But we will continue our protest.”

Tesla did not reply to a request for comment from Reuters.

Although some protesters left of their own accord after police announced the clearance earlier on Tuesday, “there are currently still people in trees and rope structures” police said, adding efforts to clear the camp were ongoing.

Disrupt Tesla had called in a post on social media platform X on Monday for mass protests against “the destruction caused by Tesla and Elon Musk” to forests and water.

Protesters have, in the past, also disrupted the surrounding area by blocking a nearby motorway and interrupting the rail service by sitting on the tracks.