German local court to decide on legality of Tesla protest camp

DPA
·2 min read
Tree houses hang in the early morning at a camp organized by the "Tesla stoppen" initiative in a pine forest near the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. The aim of the activists is to prevent the forest from being cleared as part of a planned expansion of the Tesla site with a freight depot. Joerg Carstensen/dpa
Tree houses hang in the early morning at a camp organized by the "Tesla stoppen" initiative in a pine forest near the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. The aim of the activists is to prevent the forest from being cleared as part of a planned expansion of the Tesla site with a freight depot. Joerg Carstensen/dpa

A German court is to decide whether activists occupying part of the forest in protest against US carmaker Tesla's expansion plans need to dismantle their treehouses.

Authorities had asked activists of the "Stop Tesla" initiative to dismantle their tree houses by Monday due to safety concerns. The group filed an urgent appeal against this with the administrative court.

It remains to be seen whether the court will rule on Monday. A final decision is expected to be made by 3 pm on Tuesday at the latest. Violations of the conditions can therefore not be penalised for the time being.

Activists want to prevent the forest from being cleared as part of the planned expansion of the Tesla site. In a non-binding resolution, a majority of residents in Grünheide, the Berlin suburb where the plant is located, voted against its development.

The municipality of Grünheide has now suggested that only around half of the initially earmarked forest area be cleared for the Tesla expansion.

Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen had announced days ago that violations of the conditions could result in the camp being evicted.

A spokesman for the ministry said on Sunday that the court judgement would have to be awaited before any further police measures were taken.

A banner reading "People over profit!" is seen at a camp set up by the "Stop Tesla" initiative in a pine forest near the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. The aim of the activists is to prevent the forest from being cleared as part of a planned expansion of the Tesla site with a freight yard. Joerg Carstensen/dpa
A banner reading "People over profit!" is seen at a camp set up by the "Stop Tesla" initiative in a pine forest near the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. The aim of the activists is to prevent the forest from being cleared as part of a planned expansion of the Tesla site with a freight yard. Joerg Carstensen/dpa