The US electric car manufacturer Tesla has criticized the protests by environmental activists in Germany and accused them of misinformation.
From Wednesday to Sunday, hundreds of activists protested in front of Tesla's factory near Berlin against the company's planned expansion. They warned of environmental hazards and criticized water consumption.
"From our point of view, it is regrettable that the situation on site has been dominated over the last few days by activists, some of whom are prepared to use violence," Tesla announced on Monday.
According to the company, an objective, fact-based debate has taken place in recent weeks on groundwater protection, water consumption, the treatment of trees and occupational health and safety.
Tesla said the debate showed that the company was taking the concerns of the population seriously and that misinformation had been corrected,. However, according to Tesla, the demonstrators and activists had not taken note of this.
Tesla thanked Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz Economy Minister Robert Habeck. Scholz had supported the plans to expand Tesla production, while Habeck criticized the protest against the car industry. The car manufacturer also thanked the police.
Tesla rejects accusations of environmental hazards and points to lower water consumption than the industry average. On Friday, activists tried in vain to gain access to the company premises.