Elon Musk has reacted with anger after a suspected arson attack caused power outages at a Tesla factory in Germany on Tuesday.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the Tesla CEO said: "These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they're puppets of those who don't have good environmental goals.
"Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil-fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm [sic]."
Newsweek contacted Tesla by email on Tuesday to comment on this story.
These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2024
Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm.
The Context
The Tesla factory in Berlin produces up to 375,000 electric cars a year. Last year, the company stated its intentions to increase its production capacity to 1 million electric vehicles a year.
The decision will be made by local authorities and would require forest to be cleared to leave room for Tesla to expand. Some environmentalists are opposed to it.
What We Know
The fire burnt an electricity pylon and high-voltage wires near the factory in Berlin, but not the building itself. It caused power outages in the factory and in nearby towns, and led Tesla to halt production.
Far-left group the Volcano Group claimed responsibility for the attack in a letter, which was posted on a German alternative media website.
"Tesla eats up earth, resources, people, workers and, in return, spits out 6,000 SUVs, killing machines and monster trucks per week," a translated version of the letter said.
It also called Musk a "technofascist" and Tesla a "dirty battery factory."
State police are in the process of examining the letter, according to Reuters.
Roughly 100 environmentalists have been camping in a forest near the factory in protest at the planned expansion of Tesla's Berlin plant. The BBC says that these environmentalists have said they are not responsible for the fire.
Views
"The rule of law will react to such an act of sabotage with the utmost severity," Interior Minister for Brandenburg state Michael Stuebgen said in a statement after the fire.
What's Next?
Tesla has not confirmed when it will be able to resume production at the factory. "We are currently unable to say when production can be expected to resume," the company said in a statement given to the AFP news agency.
Update 3/5/24, 10:22 a.m. EST: This story has been updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and ... Read more
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