Tesla Founder Elon Musk directed criticism at a group who appeared to claim responsibility for a suspected arson attack Tuesday on Europe’s only Tesla factory in northeastern Germany.
“[U]nknown perpetrators deliberately set fire to a high-voltage pylon between Steinfurt and Hartmannsdorf in the early morning of March 5th,” the State of Brandenburg’s Interior Ministry said in a statement. “The fire damaged the high-voltage power line so much that the power supply to the surrounding towns and the nearby TESLA factory failed.”
Power outages from the suspected arson attack affected some 2,000 households across various districts in Berlin, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported.
Vulkangruppe, or Volcano Group, appeared to claim responsibility for the attack on the electric power supply to the Tesla Gigafactory in Grünheide near Berlin, according to a missive signed by “Agua de Pau.” Police are aware of the letter and trying to confirm its authenticity, according to the New York Post.
“We sabotaged Tesla today,” the letter read. “Because Tesla in Grünau eats up earth, resources, people, labor and spits out 6,000 SUVs, killing machines and monster trucks per week. Our gift for March 8th is to shut down Tesla.”
Musk appeared unsparing in his response. “These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals,” he tweeted. “Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm.” (RELATED: Climate Protesters Harass Biden’s Campaign HQ After He Handed Them A Major Victory)
This is what the terrorists have caused.#GigaBerlinBrandenburg#StandbyTesla pic.twitter.com/SzI2UcW21r
— Gigafactory Berlin News (@Gf4Tesla) March 5, 2024
The group said the “complete destruction of the Gigafactory” and “the canceling of ‘technofascists’ like [Elon] Musk” were “a step on the path to liberation from patriarchy,” according to the letter. The group accused the factory of contaminating the groundwater, using up scarce potable water, deceptive accident statistics, “green capitalism” and a “totalitarian technological attack on society.”
“Tesla is militarizing the streets. [Musk’s] moving tanks are weapons of war. The car as a weapon. The street the battlefield,” Volcano Group said, according to the letter.
We stand with our employees, the people of Grünheide and the surrounding area, and all those affected by this arson attack on the public power grid targeting @Tesla. The safety of our more than 12,000 Tesla employees is our top priority, and we are glad that no one was injured… https://t.co/w3zXrbp9ul
— Rohan Patel (@rohanspatel) March 5, 2024
Volcano Group appears to be protesting against a proposed expansion of the Gigafactory, the letter indicated.
Some 70% of Grünheide residents responded to a public survey regarding the proposed expansion, DW reported. Some 65% of the respondents reportedly voted against the expansion.
Volcano Group cited the survey and called for authorities to “respect the will of the population.” The group also expressed desire to “bring Tesla to its knees.”
Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen condemned the attack as “perfidious,” the ministry’s statement revealed.
“That will have consequences. Here, thousands of people were cut off from basic services and put in danger. The constitutional state will react to such an act of sabotage with the utmost severity,” Stübgen added.
Stübgen also warned against hasty speculation regarding the perpetrators and rallied investigators to “concentrate and work with all our strength.”
State police have launched the investigation.