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Production at the Tesla (TSLA) Gigafactory in Grünheide near the German capital city of Berlin came to a halt early in the morning on March 5, as the facility was evacuated due to an "sabotage attack" on critical infrastructure supplying the factory with power.
As per a report by Deutche Welle (DW), a high-voltage pylon between Steinfurt and Hartmannsdorf was the target of arsonists. Besides the massive Tesla factory, local utilities company Stromnetz Berlin reported that the arsonists managed to shut down power for 2,000 households in the Müggelheim, Rahnsdorf and Neukölln districts of Berlin.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck condemned the attack, saying that it was "an attack" on "critical infrastructure," and called for the incident to be investigated and for the perpetrators to be punished quickly.
"Violence and sabotage must not be a means of conflict," Habeck said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to condemn the incident.
These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2024
Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm.
"These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists in the world or they are puppets of those who don't have good environmental goals," Musk said.
"Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm (is extremely stupid)."
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The Berlin Gigafactory has been the subject of recent local scrutiny, as Tesla plans to expand the site by another 420 acres to boost production, adding a freight station, warehouses and a company kindergarten. However, local activists claim that the wooded area around the factory – namely the part designated to be cleared – is a designated water-protection site that is vital to the local community.
On the evening of Feb. 28, about 80 activists formed a protest that involved erecting tree houses up on the trees in the forest.
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According to a report by Reuters, a far-left militant group that calls itself the "Volcano Group" claimed responsibility for the attack via a letter posted to a fringe alternative media website.
In the letter, they declare that they "sabotaged Tesla," and described the attack as a gift marking March 8, which is International Women's Day.
"Tesla consumes earth, resources, people, workers and in return spits out 6,000 SUVs, killer cars and monster trucks each week," the letter read.
Local police said they were aware of the letter by the Volcano Group, and that they are investigating its authenticity.
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