cars of tesla attacked with bitumen

“In the night of February 26th we have coverd at least 12 luxury cars and one company car of Tesla, on their premises in the Essener Straße in the north of Hamburg (Germany) with bitumen. Solidary greetings to the squatters* of the forest in Grünheide.”

[editor note: this text is a translation found here. The original text is in german: https://de.indymedia.org/node/68295 ]

tesla is a company that benefits from the ideology that all the problems of this world can ultimately be solved by the further development of technologies. An important part of their image is that the technologies they are working on (for example, they are pioneers in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Driving) have a value for the general public in social, environmental and safety areas. We reject the constant perfection of human beings through technology, as it is associated with the extension of control and the further restriction of freedom. We also oppose the destruction of nature, which, contrary to popular claims, is inevitably accompanied by the expansion of technology.

[some notes: Technology is not a neutral object, that could be used either for good or for bad. It got designed under specific social systems, to usualy be aplied in very specific ways. It is important to integrate an understanding into our analysis, of the context technology is being aplied to. One of such context is a climatecrisis caused by extractivism, colonialism and capitalism. Technology created by reprocuding that, will always be a threat to our climate, not a solution. And whenever it claims to be a solution it creates delution, hindering us to find out what is nessesary, what is really necessary to counter this climate crisis.

“technological development do not happen in a vacum. They are heavily influenced by and benefit those that exert power over others. I would argue that most technological advance is made in context were the state expands its ability of economic growth and social control.

technology is based within existing political systems. And systems of powers, that come to shape how such technology is and can be used. [within our political system] technology is being used to propel and buttress the capitalist economic system.

“Claims that ‘technology is neutral’ ring hollow in a world dominated by powerful states and capitalist social relations. It’s clear to anyone keeping score that those who control and shape technological development and mass production are best situated to reap the benefits.

Qutes are taken from this documentary, done by anarchists critical of technology and its current development:

Trouble 19: Quiet Storm

We do not make the ridiculous judgment that technology is bad. From what – historically based ethics anyway? We say it is violence and social war. Our criticism is directed against the technological appropriation of life processes.
Quote from a zine in german worth of reading:
https://capulcu.blackblogs.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2018/12/DELETEA4_web.pdf

[end notes]

How hypocritical the Tesla corporation is can just be seen in Brandenburg.
Within a few days Tesla has destroyed 90 hectares of forest in Grünheide (Brandenburg) to build a huge factory in the name of progress and profit. 65 hectares are still to follow. Symbolically, a few animals were “saved” for the press, which are to be resettled, while 30 “harvesters” machines slaughter countless animals and their habitat in record speed.

 

We think it’s great that a couple of tree pirates* have occupied the forest twice within a short period of time, to defend themselves against the clearing.
In a place like this, there aren’t always many people who fight against such a plan. But we can do something against Tesla everywhere, because in almost every town and also in some villages there are locations of them.

[tesla.com/findus]

https://web.archive.org/web/20200219161455/tesla.com/findus?bounds=50.034535973301956%2C-67.69189571875%2C28.263710960523248%2C-130.84130978125&zoom=5&filters=store%2Cservice%2Csupercharger%2Cdestination%20charger

We propose a decentralized fight against the Tesla factory and all other technology sites.

about tesla and their recent destruction close to Berlin

tesla aims to build a new factory near berlin to increase their market shares in building/selling SUV’s.[1] They are about to destroy around 153ha forest.[2]  In times of climate crisis an ecosystem needed more then ever.[3]  And yet the leaders of tesla such as Elon Musk and politicians are welcoming this destruction as a means to increase economic growth. [4] Instead of leading a process towards climate justice, they promote the idea of hyper indivdualized transportation, for their personal benefit. Those that will never benefit from such a company, are those effected most by the climate crisis.

A forest must be understood as an ecosystem, not just as a source of wood.  It is an ecosystem with many animals, insects, bacteria, mushrooms…participating in. Reducing a forest to the sum of it’s trees, is reducing the ecosystem to a source of wood, that exists for humans to extract. Without the ecosystem a tree is part of, no longterm storage of carbon into the ground. Climate crisis, you remember that thing? It’s the time we’re living in, and the time is running. 

 

 Tesla with their claim to plant 3 new trees for everyone that they cut, is just doing that.  They reduce the forest to the sum of its trees. They do not understand this forest as an important and complex ecosystem that needed centuries to grow[5], and neither do they treat it as such. They do not understand the importance of a forest to stay alive, in order to continue binding Carbon into the ground. The capability of an forest to bind Carbon that can remain there for hundred/thousands of years stored in permanent humus increase with the age of a forest. 

 Some forests are capable of binding more Carbon then others. But destroying  a forest that is strongly needed countering the climate crisis, to replace it with another forest that might exist in 10-20 years, doesn’t matter how big it will be, is harmful to the climate. Just as we need an exit of coal industry now instead of in 2038 years (the so called coal exit in germany is giving the permit for the coal industry to continue for at least 18 years), do we need the forests now, not some when else. 

 And: What’s dead, will be dead forever. In the forest tesla is destroying, animals critically endangered call it their home.
 Protect ecosystems, destroy capitalism. 

 “Two of the nine tipping points for major climate changes, forecast for the next century, are directly related to forest diebacks.”

 The majority of trees in so called germany are sick, due to long term miss treatment of forests as an ecosystem. With climate crisis hitting us harder year by year, we’re in need of healthy forests more then ever. Driving species living in such distinct, is the opposite of what we need. Tesla claims to have the right to do so, under the disguise of relocation as such is served with protection under germans law.
Multiple species living there are in a status of threatened by extinction. Destroying the environment they understand as their home is bringing unnecessary risk of death to them. Running with bulldozers and harvesters through their homes, will destroy what was alive forever. 

 And meanwhile tesla’s claims to care for the environment, they choose to build their factory in an water protected area. Their hourly water consumption is planned to be around 323.000 – 238.000 liter (at peaks). In a water protection area that is struggling with drought.
 The minister for environmental protection responsible for that area, Axel Vogel from the green party, is applauding tesla for their good practice in environmental protection. This while tesla is destroying this forest, even so they don’t have a building permission yet.

And that’s all, for nothing more then hyper individualized transportation.

 

 Hyper individualized transportation is not necessary and it is harmful for our climate. Tesla is part of the problem, incapable of delivering any real solutions to this climate crisis. 

They’re charlatans profiting from this #climatecrisis by false promise of salvation. Instead of a systematic change of our transportation systems, they are selling the story of how hyper individualized transportation will safe the world.
What an obvious bullshit, yet so many believe in it, even so called “environmentalists”. Some might ask: “but there are others that are worse.” That’s true, but consider the following: We’re living in the time of climate crisis. We need as fast as possible solutions to counter it. Any false promise of salvation is distracting from what is needed to fight for climate justice. Hyper individualized transportation cannot be the answer to our current crisis, and we need to make shure, that it can’t be portrayed as such. We need system change, not climate change. 

against the  false promise of salvation,
destroying the delusion of capitalism.

 

[image by @baumpirat_innen during their direct Action]

 

But not just for the threat it brings to the climate, but also for its links to mass surveillance, mass manipulation and neo-conservatism towards a more authoritarian society.
Before reading the next, take in mind the following: companies are legal entities. Even so they might legally be separated entities, they can be a social organization with high connection between those legal entities. And Tesla is simply part of a social organization that supports mass surveillance, mass manipulation, neo conservatism…

 Following only some examples (a more rich research will come some when in future): Elon Musk is CEO of Tesla. He is also funder of X.com a company that acquired the pre-version of paypal. A founder of paypal is Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel is also a founder of founders fund, which is invested in other companies Elon Musk is leading. Peter Thiel (officially just as among the first investors, through the company founders fund) and Elon Musk are also funder of OpenAI, an organisation that aims to develop and set standards for artificial intelligence. Peter Thiel and Elon Musk as you know now are long term partners. And here’s what else Peter Thiel is into: early investor of facebook and a board member, founder of palantir, and several investment companies.
 Palantir is a company focused on mass surveillance helping governments to target any social movement they please. As the forest tesla destroys is in germany, you might like to know, that palantir also serves the german police with software that aims to do mass surveillance incl. automated judgments of the risk they assign to a person of potentially doing something illegal, or causing in other sense a threat to the state.

 

This new deal is happening at the same time police laws are shifting more towards the possibility to arrest anyone, anytime a cop argues they could potential be a risk (without the need that you’re done anything illegal. planning a serious crime is and was legally already a crime.) This law in combination with the software palantir provides is moving us towards arrests decided by artificial intelligence, and not just some artificial intelligence, but one designed by neo-conservatives. Peter Thiel is also an active supporter of Trump. Yes, the company cambridge analytica that took part in manipulating the trump election, is also connected to palantir. And there’s so much more to say about this network tesla is part of, just one last so you can be shure they also support facists:
Palmer Luckey founder of a virtual reality glases that facebook acquired (remember that Peter Thiel is board memeber of fb), also funded several right-wing organizations. He also funded a company together with former executives from Palantir that focus on targeting migrants entering the US from Mexico. Leading investor of that company Anduril is Founders Fund (this investment company funded by Peter Thiel, which is also invested in Elon Musks companies). And if you wonder if they also develop automated flying drones capable of automate killing, the answer is: Yes.
https://www.wired.com/story/palmer-luckey-anduril-border-wall/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-10-03/tech-s-most-controversial-startup-now-makes-attack-drones

Monopoly is the condition of every successful business’ – Peter Thiel

 ‘The fate of our world may depend on the effort of a single person who builds or propagates the machinery of freedom that makes the world safe for capitalism’ – Peter Thiel

 Thiel sees a close and ‘deadly race between politics and technology’
 https://esra.nz/global-tech-elite-imagine-future/

Obviously Elon Musk is not responsible for everything his partners are involved in, but him working together with those that support facism, should raise some concerns, also on Elon’s honesty when he claims having interest in protecting the environment. Fascists are and have always been at the forefront of destroying our environment. 

It’s vital to our climate to make them and everyone that supports facists to stop. 

 

the list of sources is not finished yet and will be adjusted over time. Much is missing, more will come. If you have suggestions, feel free to comment.

for recent updates also follow:
https://todon.nl/@baumpirat_innen
https://social.tchncs.de/@greencapitalismkills

 
 [1] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1194373823912538112 (“…starting with Model Y”, which is an SUV)
 [4] https://www.zeit.de/2019/48/tesla-gruenheide-brandenburg-gigafactory-autowerk-fabrik-berlin/seite-2 “Minister Steinbach sprach davon, während der Verhandlungen das Gefühl gehabt zu haben, “mit einem Bein im Gefängnis zu stehen”. Er spielt damit auf Zugeständnisse an, die sein Ministerium zwischenzeitlich machen musste, um Tesla am Haken zu halten. “