Within a few days, Tesla had trees felled on part of the site for the planned first factory in Europe - interrupted by a legal stop that was lifted. The local protest against the project continues.
Grünheide (dpa) - The first part of the clearing for the planned factory of US electric car maker Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin is almost complete. According to the police, only a few trees were still standing.
No work was planned on Sunday. Bats had also been discovered on two trees, but they are said to be housed elsewhere after their hibernation. The first part of tree felling covered around 90 hectares. The "BZ" from Berlin reported on the clearing on Sunday. It was only on Thursday that the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) Berlin-Brandenburg lifted the temporary stop after urgent applications from two environmental associations.
The protest against the billion dollar project continues. According to the police, around 150 participants came to Erkner not far from Grünheide on Saturday. The "Citizens' Initiative Against Gigafactory Grünheide" campaigns for the preservation of the landscape and the protected areas as well as for enough drinking water. It rejects large industrial settlements. Participants held up banners that read: "No large factory in the forest" and "Tesla or drinking water". In the meantime, the initiative wanted to forego demos in order not to offer a platform for right-wing representatives.
Representatives of the anti-coal alliance "Endegebiet" Berlin and the "Interventionischen Linke Berlin" also took part in the demonstration against Tesla on Saturday. There is no turnaround in traffic with Tesla, said the spokesman for "Endegebiet Berlin", Jonas Baliani. An expansion of local public transport and rail transport is needed.
There was also support for Tesla. Also in Erkner, at least 40 people advertised the factory according to the participants. Initiator André Organiska, who is also a CDU community representative in Gosen-Neu Zittau south of Erkner, wanted to show that there are also citizens who are in favor of the settlement. "I even think the majority is for it," said Organiska. The factory brings future.
Tesla plans to roll up to 500,000 vehicles a year from the next year in Grünheide (Oder-Spree district) near Berlin. The Green League Brandenburg and the Association for Landscape Conservation and Species Protection in Bavaria consider the early approval for tree felling illegal because the final green light is still pending. The OVG Berlin-Brandenburg had allowed further clearing on Thursday evening and rejected urgent applications from the two environmental associations. The site is secured with a fence, the police are on site.
