The activists who occupied the forest next to the Tesla factory in Grünheide are supposed to dismantle their tree houses by Monday. They now want to defend themselves legally.
Climate activists, who occupied a forest in Grünheide to protest against a planned expansion of the Tesla factory, are allowed to continue their camp for the time being. A spokesman for the administrative court in Potsdam said on Saturday afternoon that the new requirements required by the assembly authority did not have to be met for the time being. This applies until the activists’ urgent application has been finally decided. This is to be expected on Monday, said the spokesman.
This gave the activists who occupied the forest near the Tesla factory Occupy, initially successful in taking legal action against the imposed conditions. “We will exhaust all legal means to prevent an eviction,” said a statement from the “Stop Tesla” initiative.
The court spokesman added on Saturday afternoon that the decision was an interim order to “secure the status quo” and not the actual decision on the urgent application, the court spokesman continued.
Tesla protest camp will not be cleared for the time being
Activists have been occupying a forest near the Tesla factory for days. The permit for this was supposed to expire on Saturday night, and the activists requested an extension. Now it is clear: the camp will not be evacuated for the time being.more
80 people show up Forest walk solidarity
On Saturday, around 80 people showed solidarity with the occupiers during a so-called forest walk. Manu Hoyer, co-founder of the citizens’ initiative in Grünheide, said on the sidelines of the protest that the state government’s new requirements were a farce.
The Brandenburg Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) declared on Friday that the Activists use their tree houses and perches would have to be dismantled by Monday. If this didn’t happen, he would see it as a violation of the requirements, which could possibly mean the end of the meeting. According to Stübgen, the meeting has been extended until Thursday March 21st. The basic right to freedom of assembly applies, even if he himself has no sympathy for the demonstrators. The activists had already announced that they did not want to fulfill this requirement.
Activists don’t want to dismantle treehouses
The participants had registered the camp as a political meeting, like a demonstration. Such events are subject to the right of assembly and do not require special approval from the police. However, they can be prohibited or subject to conditions under certain circumstances. The aim of the activists is to prevent the forest area in question from being cleared. In a survey, a majority of residents also rejected Tesla’s plans.
New development plan: Tesla foregoes some of the forest clearing
Tesla has reconsidered its plans to expand its factory premises and now wants to clear 47 instead of 100 hectares of forest and forego planned buildings. The mayor of Grünheide has therefore announced a new development plan.more
Tesla wants to clear less forest
The activists’ goal is to prevent the forest from being cleared as part of a planned expansion of the Tesla site with a freight station. A majority of the citizens of Grünheide voted against expansion. The The municipality of Grünheide suggests that only about half of the forest be cleared.
According to this, among other things, instead of the more than 100 hectares that were originally intended for clearing to expand the site, only around 50 hectares of forest will be cleared. The other half should be preserved. In this way, the municipal administration is taking the wishes of the citizens into account, wrote Mayor Arne Christiani (independent).
The adjusted development plan will be available to the public from March 21st. Only then can community representatives vote on it.
Freight station is to be built, daycare center will be eliminated
Tesla factory manager André Thierig told rbb that the “particularly worthy of protection” forest in the northern part of the planned expansion should remain. A planned logistics center and rooms for employees such as a daycare center will no longer be built, says Thierig. Tesla is still planning to build a new freight station. This will now be larger than previously planned – with significant advantages for the company: “With the larger station we will be able to relieve the burden on road traffic for up to 1,000 trucks per day,” said Thierig. This is not possible with a smaller freight station.
Broadcast: Antenne Brandenburg, March 16, 2024, 9:02 a.m
