After the attack on the electric car manufacturer’s power supply Tesla Employees gathered in front of the factory in Grünheide in solidarity with the company. On Friday evening, they let their cell phone lights shine in front of the dark factory building, which is still without electricity. More than 2,000 employees and family members followed the works council’s call, said Tesla factory manager André Thierig. He wrote on Friday evening on the career network LinkedIn that the employees were sending a clear signal against violence, for the solidarity of the workforce and “that we will not let ourselves be defeated”.
Production at the Tesla factory will likely remain suspended until the end of next week. On Tuesday, previously unknown perpetrators set fire to an electricity pylon in a field in eastern Brandenburg, which also ensures the supply to the Tesla factory in Grünheide.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office took over the investigation. The highest prosecution authority sees initial suspicion, among other things, of membership in a terrorist organization, unconstitutional sabotage and communal arson. The left-wing extremist “Vulkan Group” had declared that it was responsible for the attack. How did this come about and why did the dispute escalate so much? The most important questions and answers at a glance.
Critical infrastructure should be better protected
The Federal Network Agency is now also pushing for more security for the energy networks in view of the attack on the Tesla factory’s power supply. “The incident underlines the need for resilient energy supply structures in Germany,” a spokeswoman for the network agency told the German Press Agency. “With the Kritis umbrella law, the legislature is currently developing the requirements for the security of critical infrastructure, including against physical dangers. The aim is to further increase the level of security.” At the same time, the specific requirements should match the operators’ existing, sometimes specific, risks.
The authority referred to existing plans. According to the Interior Ministry, the Federal Cabinet will deal with the so-called Kritis umbrella law in the first half of the year. This is intended to better protect the critical infrastructure against dangers.