Activists protest Tesla plant expansion in Germany
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00:00 "Tesla! Tesla!"
00:02 Hundreds of protesters marching through the streets of Grunheide Sunday.
00:07 They came out to show their opposition to expansion plans for the nearby Tesla plant
00:11 from 300 to 470 hectares, requiring the clearing of local forests and drawing more groundwater.
00:18 65% of the town's residents have voted against the plan.
00:22 "We want this to become a reality for local politics here to not expand Tesla.
00:28 We want the water protection zone to be preserved and water to be guaranteed in Brandenburg."
00:33 The Brandenburg-Berlin Gigafactory is Tesla's only European production facility.
00:39 It normally produces 1,000 vehicles per week.
00:42 The company is hoping to double that by the end of the year.
00:45 It's been a source of local controversy ever since its announcement,
00:49 largely due to environmental concerns.
00:51 A suspected arson attack on a nearby electrical pylon cut power to the plant last week.
00:56 The shutdown has idled its 12,500 workers and cost Tesla an estimated several hundred million euros.
01:03 CEO Elon Musk calling the left-wing group that claimed responsibility for the fire
01:08 "the dumbest eco-terrorists on earth" for targeting electric vehicles.
01:12 Friday saw employees gather at the plant to celebrate its planned resumption of production this week.
01:19 "We're here to show the region, our employees, families, all of Germany and hopefully the entire
01:25 world how Tesla employees stand united after this attack."
01:28 The shutdown is just the latest headache for Tesla in Europe after facing organized
01:35 labor action in Scandinavia and supply chain interruptions due to Red Sea shipping attacks.