Production at Tesla’s German factory has been halted due to an act of “sabotage” where power lines supplying the plant were set on fire. Emergency services responded to reports of a burning electricity pylon near the Tesla plant in Brandenburg, southeast of Berlin.
Although the blaze was extinguished, the damage to the power lines resulted in a power outage not only at the electric car factory but also in the surrounding villages. Police have initiated an investigation into the suspected arson, and a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) claimed responsibility for the act. The group expressed concerns about the environmental impact of the plant and its impact on the local water supply.
Brandenburg’s interior minister, Michael Stuebgen, condemned the act as a perfidious attack on the electricity infrastructure, emphasizing the danger it posed to thousands of people. While electricity was restored in nearby towns and villages after a few hours, it is expected to take several days to restore power at the Tesla plant.
Tesla’s factory in Germany, which opened in March 2022, aims to challenge German automakers on their home turf and has plans for expansion that involve clearing a significant portion of forested land.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed his thoughts on the potential attackers by stating on X, formerly known as Twitter, that they are either the most unintelligent eco-terrorists on the planet or mere pawns manipulated by individuals with no genuine environmental objectives.
Furthermore, he emphasized the sheer foolishness of halting the production of electric vehicles instead of fossil fuel vehicles by using the German phrase “ist extrem dumm” to convey the notion of extreme stupidity.
