Grünheide. Following the decision of the Higher Administrative Court in favor of freedom of assembly and the decision of the municipal council meeting in favor of construction plan for Tesla, the water occupation “Stop Tesla” announces that it will resolutely continue its resistance against the expansion of the Tesla factory.

Before the municipal council meeting, the water occupation gathered together with the Grünheide citizens’ initiative in the “Tesla den Hahn abdrehen” alliance for a rally with 100 people. The clear message was to implement the vote of the citizens’ consultation and to protest against the sell-out of the water and forest to Tesla. Despite the clear mandate from the population and the majority positions of the citizens’ councils against the construction plan (B-Plan60), there was a narrow majority of local council representatives in favor of the B-Plan60.

“We are disappointed by the vote at the municipal council meeting. We believe it jeopardizes the democratic processes here in Grünheide. That’s why we have to stay to protect the water and the forest as long as our protection is needed,” emphasizes Caro Weber, spokesperson for the water occupation ‘Tesla Stoppen’.

The decision of the Higher Administrative Court was also made on Thursday. The police’s appeal was dismissed in its entirety. This means that the protest with tree houses, which has been going on for over twelve weeks, can continue.

“This is an important sign for freedom of assembly. We strongly condemn the actions of the police. They tried to criminalize our protest. Our protest is and remains necessary. With workshops, a cultural programme and creative protest, we are showing how a solidary, self-organized future can look like. We are an open place and it is precisely these spaces for exchange that are needed right now,” says Mara, spokesperson for the water occupation.

Last week, over 2,000 people took part in the protest camp and demonstration for water protection and against Tesla. There was media coverage both locally and internationally. The water occupation has gained new supporters and is expecting more people to join. The focus remains on communicating with local people. Contact with the workers at the Tesla factory and globally networked environmental and trade union activists is also to be intensified.

“Corporations like Tesla are globally connected and cause destruction worldwide. It is therefore necessary for us to join forces. Be it with the people in Chile who are fighting against lithium mining or with trade unions in Tesla factories worldwide. All these struggles are important and belong together,” explains Zwybel, spokesperson for the water occupation.

“This is an important sign for freedom of assembly. We strongly condemn the actions of the police. They tried to criminalize our protest. Our protest is and remains necessary. With workshops, a cultural programme and creative protest, we are showing how a solidary, self-organized future can look like. We are an open place and it is precisely these spaces for exchange that are needed right now,” says Mara, spokesperson for the water occupation.

Last week, over 2,000 people took part in the protest camp and demonstration for water protection and against Tesla. There was media coverage both locally and internationally. The water occupation has gained new supporters and is expecting more people to join. The focus remains on communicating with local people. Contact with the workers at the Tesla factory and globally networked environmental and trade union activists is also to be intensified.

“Corporations like Tesla are globally connected and cause destruction worldwide. It is therefore necessary for us to join forces. Be it with the people in Chile who are fighting against lithium mining or with trade unions in Tesla factories worldwide. All these struggles are important and belong together,” explains Zwybel, spokesperson for the water occupation.

We are still here because we still have the mandate of the citizens’ consultation to protect this forest from destruction. We won’t leave until we have prevented the expansion. We are also here because we have created a place for international networking and exchange. A place where we have created a counter-utopia to the existing system, a place where we learn and reflect.

We extended our meeting on March 8 until mid-May, as the local council’s decision on the development plan is expected on May 18. We waited over a week for the decision and only received new conditions at the end of our first meeting registration on March 15, which would have made our protest and the associated contribution to shaping public opinion impossible. We lodged an objection against this.

We objected to the time limit of 21 March, the spatial restrictions, the ban on using and dismantling the tree houses, the ban on standing under the tree houses, the ban on climbing courses and the registration of our cultural and educational program.

The restriction until March 21 would in fact be a ban on the assembly, the restriction of the assembly area is unlawful, as we need more space if we become more people. The ban on climbing courses is unlawful, as there is no general ban on climbing. The climbing courses also serve the safety of all assembly participants. The supposed unsafety of the tree houses was assumed without an expert opinion.

We ourselves commissioned a civil engineer to draw up an expert opinion: “All installations have very high safety standards that go far beyond what is required by the dead and live loads. […] From a technical point of view, there is no reason why the installations should not remain in the trees for months, if not years.”

The court’s decision is now available: All conditions are unlawful. The assembly has been proven right on all points and will remain.

It is the practice of a police state when the eviction of an assembly is prepared for economic interests. Economics Minister Steinbach has spoken of “state-tolerated behavior”, referring to the exercise of our fundamental rights. Our protest was to be criminalized from the outset. Thanks to a lot of support from the population and at a legal level, we have so far been able to successfully prevent an eviction.

Our protest will only be successful once the expansion of the Gigafactory has been prevented. Even if we are to be evicted at some point, this protest will continue. We are like the weeds that keep coming back. Our protest cannot be cleared.

Grünheide. The water occupation “Tesla stoppen” (Stop Tesla) has received the notice of requirements for the assembly registered until May 20, 2024, late this Friday afternoon.

The requirements make legitimate and effective protest impossible. According to the decision, the climate protectors are no longer even allowed to spend the night in their tree houses. All structures must be dismantled by noon on Monday, March 18, 2024. The assembly should end by Thursday, March 21, 2024, even if all requirements are met by the occupiers.

Through this approach, the state government continues to curry favor with Elon Musk and, hand in hand with the anti-democrat, is trying to discredit effective protests against the water theft.

The eviction scheduled for today was prevented thanks to the many supporters. As of Saturday, March 16, 2024, the water occupation continues to be threatened with eviction every day.

From tomorrow onwards, we can expect at least increased identity checks and other harassment by he police. This represents an intolerable interference with the freedom of assembly. Due to the delayed delivery of the conditions for the assembly that was already registered on March 8, 2024, legal action against the decision on the conditions has actually been made impossible. Nevertheless, the initiative will exhaust all legal means to prevent eviction.

For over two weeks, members of the “Tesla stoppen” (Stop Tesla) initiative have been occupying the forest near the Tesla Gigafactory to prevent the expansion of the factory. They are committed to protecting groundwater and calling for a socially just mobility transition.

Grünheide. The water occupation “Tesla stoppen” (Stop Tesla) fears a violent eviction by the police at the weekend. The climate activists have received this information from various public sources as well as from parliamentary circles. Shortly after the anti-democrat Elon Musk came to Grünheide, the state government of Brandenburg wants to silence the legitimate protest.

The group “Tesla stoppen” (Stop Tesla) is calling on all citizens to come to the treehouse camp at Fangschleuse station from Thursday on to prevent the expected eviction. It is expected that the police will brutally break up this important assembly at the weekend.

“It is frightening to see that the state government wants to stop democratic processes for the profit of an ultra-right multi-billionaire,” says René Sander from Tesla stoppen (Stop Tesla).

The group will continue to make use of the right to assembly and freedom of expression guaranteed by the Basic Law. It is not the competence of the police to violently clear a registered assembly without legally tenable reasons. The water occupation remains in contact with the responsible assembly authorities and will take legal action if an attempt to disperse the assembly is made.

“Our protest cannot be cleared, we will stay,” says Caro Weber, active in the water occupation.

The protest camp in Grünheide has been in existence since 28.02.2024. The assembly, which is registered until 20.05., has been an important place of protest for the protection of water and the forest for two weeks. Locally, the water occupation has a special meaning for the many residents who come by.

Grünheide. The water occupation in Grünheide is in full play: over 1000 people attended the “Tesla: Nein danke” (Tesla: no thanks) demonstration organized by the “Tesla den Hahn abdrehen” alliance on Sunday. The “Tesla stoppe” (Stop Tesla) occupation was represented with a speech and received a lot of encouragement from the rally participants. Local residents in particular had already shown their support in the days before by bringing food and material donations, helping to build the tree houses themselves and engaging in discussions with the occupiers and visitors.

Despite the local support, the protest camp is associated with an eviction. The threat of eviction on the part of the SPD, especially by the Minister of Economic Affairs Jörg Steinbach, is criticized by the water occupation in the strongest possible terms.

Caro Weber, spokesperson for the water occupation, clarifies: “The protest camp is a registered assembly that is protected by the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. We see a great deal of public interest here. On Sunday, we were part of the largest protest to protect the water in Grünheide. We get a lot of visits from local residents every day. We are in dialog with the fire department and the building and forestry authorities. They recently explained at the committee meeting of the Brandenburg state parliament on March 6 that there was no necessary reason to break up the meeting. The statements made by the Minister of Economic Affairs show us that politics here in Grünheide is not acting in the interests of the population, democracy or the environment. Jörg Steinbach is making himself a stooge of a destructive capitalist corporation headed by a right-wing billionaire. In his position as Minister of Economic Affairs, Steinbach has no legitimacy to question a registered assembly.”

An extension of the camp beyond March 15 was registered on March 8. The extension will run until May 20 in order to be able to participate in the democratic opinion-forming process at least until the local council meeting in May. The water occupation is an important player in the local struggle for a socially just distribution of the vital resource of water.

The water occupation has also been well received globally: representatives of international environmental struggles have visited and the international press has reported on the protest camp. On Sunday, activists from “Soulèvements de la terre” from France described their local struggles for water. There was also an exchange with activists from Fridays for Future Africa to make environmental destruction and human rights violations in the Global South visible.

Stephen Musaruwa from Botswana, activist with FFF MAPA, FFF Africa and Climate Live, explains: “I believe in nature and the conservation of the environment. We will not support the destruction of the environment as we are people who live in the environment. Everything we have in our countries is highly related to the environment. That is why we are here standing in solidarity with the people and the occupation. We are facing cyclones like never before, we are facing tornadoes like never before, we are facing droughts like never before. If my fellow comrades are here fighting for climate justice, it is important that I am here with them and make sure that the voice of the voiceless and the voice of the indigenous people are being heard on an international platform.”

The water occupation activists are aware of the threat posed by Tesla, politicians like Steinbach and the police. Lotta Nyman, active in the water occupation, is confident: “In the event of an eviction, we are relying on the solidarity of local residents and interested parties. We have come to stay.”

We have learned from the press today that a fire at a power pole caused a power outage in the Erkner region as well as at the Tesla Gigafactory. We have no information about who or what is responsible for this fire.

The factory poses a threat to our drinking water safety, to the climate and to workers worldwide. There are various actors who are resisting the exploitation and destruction by this company in their own way. Our form of resistance is a “water occupation”. We use our bodies and tree houses to oppose the expansion of the factory. We are not endangering human lives in the process. In the fight for water security and climate justice, we want to overcome the destructive mechanisms of capitalism and work towards a society that enables a good life for all.

The initiative “Tesla stoppen” (Stop Tesla) is in solidarity with the workers at Tesla and the local residents. We regret that many people in the region were and are affected by the power outage.

The reason why we need to protect the climate is that the climate catastrophe is brutally exacerbating social injustices. For a climate-friendly future, we need socially just mobility. Clean e-cars are a dirty lie. We must not replace the problems of combustion engines with new injustices.

Tesla is stealing drinking water from the residents of Grünheide. People are being rationed water in Germany because the Tesla company is using too much water. What we are seeing here is a distribution war over water in which the profits of a corporation are placed above the needs of people.

The extraction of the raw materials used in Teslas not only robs people of water here locally, but also in the mining regions in countries of the Global South. We have already had a visit here from the head of the largest Latin American environmental protection organization – Lucio Berger. We share the same goals. Lithium mining has massive consequences in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. Whole population groups are suffering there for Tesla’s lithium and people are having their livelihoods destroyed. The production of Teslas exploits people and destroys nature worldwide.

We need a world in which all people can live well. The destruction caused by Tesla is not an isolated phenomenon, but is systematic as long as profit is more important than people. We need collective, solidarity-based answers to systematic problems.

We stand in solidarity with the workers at Tesla. Tesla is boycotting the unionization of its employees by all means and many workers are injured in the Gigafactory because of the poor occupational health and safety.

Everyone must be able to afford to get from A to B. We need socially just mobility – for all people. We are impressed when people from Fridays for Future join forces with public transport workers to strike for greater appreciation of their work.

Elon Musk is a bad partner for German politics. He repeatedly shows that his employees, the environment and democracy are of no value to him.

Over 60% of Grünheide residents are against the clearing of the forest for the Gigafactory in a drinking water protection area. However, we have no confidence that if the state and federal governments and a right-wing multi-billionaire want something else, the doubling of the factory will not take place. That is why it is necessary for us to stand in the way of Tesla’s destruction here.

Let’s use a few more nasty terms, even if most of you won’t write them down. A socially just world is not possible under capitalism. Capitalism is a system based on competition and exploitation. Capitalism is based on the structural differentiation, devaluation and exploitation of certain groups of people – especially through racism and patriarchy. The neo-colonial relations of exploitation and early capitalist working conditions on the assembly line in Tesla’s production are the result of a misguided economic system. In order to achieve social justice, we must overcome capitalism.

We have now slept in our tree houses for four days. And a lot has happened. We went public on Thursday, the police came by, but more importantly, a lot of supporters also came by. Local residents came by, with whom we were able to have really nice conversations and from whom we received a lot of support. We also spoke to Tesla employees and had consistently positive encounters here too. Even if we don’t have the same views everywhere, there are still many common interests – for example, strong trade union organization and good occupational health and safety. And last but not least, we have become more and more local. There are now over 100 squatters on more than 10 tree houses standing in the way of the factory. We look forward to many people coming by – perhaps for a coffee or to live with us in tree houses. Together we will stop Tesla!