Following a vote by local councillors in favour of the expansion of the Tesla gigafactory just outside Berlin, opponents of the plans want to extend their protest and are considering legal means.
Talks are already under way with several nature conservation organizations, Steffen Schorcht, spokesman for the citizens' initiative in the small town of Grünheide, where the plant is located, said on Friday.
They want to sound out a possible lawsuit with these organizations, he said, adding that by working together, the initiative is building on the expertise of the associations in species and water protection.
On Thursday, the majority of Grünheide's council representatives approved the controversial expansion plan for the plant and an urban development contract with the US electric car manufacturer.
The car manufacturer wants to expand its site to include a goods station and logistics areas. Activists see considerable environmental risks in the plans because the site is located in a water protection area. They also oppose the imminent deforestation.
Other anti-Tesla initiatives announced on Friday are that they would continue and even intensify their protests. They now want to discuss how they will continue to act, said a spokeswoman for the "Tesla den Hahn abdrehen" (Turn off Tesla's tap) alliance initiative.
But one thing is certain: there will be further protests, she said. More and more people are becoming aware of the problems in Grünheide. She suspects that the protest will therefore grow and that the outrage will increase after the decision, the spokeswoman said.
The group of forest occupiers at the Tesla factory in Grünheide had already announced that they would continue the protest camp if the municipal representatives decided in favour of the expansion.
"We may stay beyond the summer," said a spokeswoman for the "Stop Tesla" initiative on Friday. An extension of the protest beyond May 20 has already been applied for.
The "Disrupt Tesla" campaign alliance also hinted at further actions against Tesla on Friday. They first wanted to organize themselves for concrete plans.
"Disrupt Tesla" organized several protest actions in the state of Brandenburg last week. Among others, they stormed the Neuhardenberg airfield. This is where new Tesla cars are temporarily stored. According to media reports, the activists smeared some cars there with paint.
The dispute over the expansion has been going on for a long time, with protests sometimes breaking out in violence.
In March, previously unknown perpetrators set fire to an electricity pylon in a freely accessible field, which is part of the power supply to the Tesla plant. Due to a power outage, car production was put on hold for almost a week.
Last week, activists tried to storm the Tesla site. The police were able to prevent this. According to the police, 76 criminal charges were filed during this weekend of protest and 23 demonstrators were temporarily taken into custody.
