Tesla's Giga Berlin plant in Germany evacuated as suspected arson fire knocks out power to surrounding area
CBSFeb 29
Berlin: Tesla Gigafactory to Resume Production After Attack by Protestors
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Image copyright: Sean Gallup/Staff/Getty Images Europe via Getty Images
The Facts
Tesla is preparing to resume manufacturing at its Gigafactory in Berlin after power was restored on Monday night. Production ground to a halt after the far-left Volcano Group sabotaged the factory by cutting its electricity on March 5 in an act of alleged eco-terrorism.
The Volcano Group — Vulkangruppe in German — claimed responsibility for an arson attack on a nearby electricity pylon that caused the plant to lose power for one week, but the E.dis division of German energy network firm E.ON was able to reconnect the plant to the power grid ahead of schedule.
The Spin
Right narrative
Left-wing extremists are as dumb as they are dangerous, having declared “war” on one of the world’s most eco-friendly car manufacturers in the name of environmental protection. In addition to damaging Tesla’s property and halting the production of thousands of EVs, Volcano Group terrorists could have caused serious physical harm to employees. These out-of-touch radicals have no consideration for how their actions impact thousands of working people, being completely ignorant of the world around them. Tesla will recover from this act of terror, but these far-left actors must be prevented from enacting future attacks.
Left narrative
While the Volcano Group may have gone slightly too far in its protest of the Tesla Gigafactory, their act of sabotage doesn’t undermine the legitimacy of activists' grievances, or protests against the plant. Local residents have made their disapproval of Tesla’s expansion abundantly clear, yet Elon Musk continues to ignore the will of those whose communities he is disrupting. Musk is an out-of-touch billionaire who mocks his critics and perpetually plays the victim. These protests are the cries of the unheard — Musk can’t keep ignoring environmental activists who oppose giant Tesla factories in their backyards.
