A fire broke out at the electric car manufacturer's factory in Brandenburg, Germany, on Tuesday morning. Explosives experts also had to arrive. A so-called “volcanic group”, classified as left-wing extremist, claims responsibility for the arson attack.
An alleged arson attack on a power plant is believed to have paralyzed the Tesla factory in Grünheide, in the German state of Brandenburg. Production at Tesla's only European production facility is currently at a standstill. Police are investigating suspected arson. A police spokesman told the German Press Agency on Tuesday. RBB previously reported. Production at Europe's only Tesla car factory has been at a standstill since Tuesday morning following a power cut. It was said that the factory in Grünheide, near Berlin, was evacuated.
On Tuesday afternoon there was finally a letter of responsibility from a so-called “volcanic group” that was classified as left-wing extremist. An “attack on the power supply” of the Tesla factory was carried out and “Tesla was sabotaged,” says the group’s letter. The police are checking the authenticity of the letter. The “volcanic group” was already suspected in 2021 of having carried out an attack on the energy supply at the factory's construction site at the time. At the time, the radical left website Indymedia.org claimed that Tesla was not green, ecological or social. The group also accuses Tesla of “extreme exploitative conditions” and calls for the “complete destruction of the Gigafactory”. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in the state of Brandenburg also wrote in its 2021 report that in recent years “left-wing extremists have carried out arson attacks in Berlin as 'volcanic groups' several times”.
Burning electricity pole
A burning electricity pole had previously caused a power outage in the eastern region of Brandenburg, near Berlin. “We are investigating the initial suspicion that this was deliberate arson,” the police spokesperson said. According to police, the State Criminal Police Department has begun an investigation. They would be driven in all directions, a spokeswoman said. The electricity pole in question is free in a field and is not fenced. The automaker stated that arson was presumed and sent information to the responsible authorities.
Tesla Gigafactory in Grünheide, the only production site in Europe. Portal/Angret Hilse
Fire registered at 5:15 am
According to police information, the fire department was called to the fire in the Gosen-Neu Zittau area near Berlin at around 5:15 am and began to extinguish the fire. According to a spokesperson, the fire caused a power outage in the region. Several media outlets reported the fire.
Apparently the fire was discovered using a helicopter. It burst in a transformer house near Gosen-Neu Zittau. The newspaper “Bild” reported a loud bang at the Steinfurt substation, near the Tesla factory, after which a fire broke out. The power at the auto plant went out about an hour before the shift began.
When questioned, authorities initially did not comment on a possible link to protests around the Tesla factory. Since Thursday, around 80 to 100 environmental activists have occupied part of the Brandenburg state forest, near the Tesla factory, which Elon Musk's company intends to clean up in the event of expanding its facilities. Activists have built around ten tree houses several meters high and have announced that they want to resist as long as possible. The Grünheide citizens' initiative also speaks out against Tesla's expansion plans and shows solidarity with the occupiers.
Photos from the protest camp in Grünheide. Imago/Jochen Eckel 
Photos from the protest camp in Grünheide. Imago/Jochen Eckel 
Photos from the protest camp in Grünheide. Imago/Jochen Eckel
Minister of the Interior speaks of “perfidious attack”
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) announced the consequences in an opening statement. “If the initial findings are confirmed, it will be a perfidious attack on our electrical infrastructure,” said Stübgen. “This will have consequences.” Thousands of people were deprived of basic services and placed in danger. “The constitutional state will respond to such an act of sabotage with the utmost severity,” he said.
When questioned, authorities initially did not comment on a possible link to protests around the Tesla factory. Since Thursday, around 80 to 100 environmental activists have occupied part of the Brandenburg state forest, near the Tesla factory, which Elon Musk's company intends to clean up in the event of expanding its facilities. Activists have built around ten tree houses several meters high and have announced that they want to resist as long as possible. The Grünheide citizens' initiative also speaks out against Tesla's expansion plans and shows solidarity with the occupiers.
Tesla has been manufacturing electric cars in Grünheide for almost two years. According to the company's most recent information, around 12,500 employees work there. Environmentalists criticize, among other things, the fact that the site is in a water protection area. In a citizens' survey in Grünheide, the majority turned against the expansion plans. Tesla also wants to expand production. (APA/dpa/Portal/Red.)