Hundreds of protesters opposed to the expansion of a Tesla plant in Grünheide, near Berlin, Germany, clashed with police on May 10, as some of them attempted to storm the electric vehicle manufacturing facility.

According to the Guardian, organizing group Disrupt Tesla  said that about 800 people took part in the protest. The group claims the expansion would damage the environment. Tesla has attracted intense backlash since the company opened the factory in March 2022, and later announced plans to expand into a nearby forest to increase its production capability.

In February, the town where the factory is located voted against the plans in a referendum that was not legally binding. Since then, protesters have been stationed in an encampment nearby in protest. The same facility was shut down for a week in March after suspected arson disabled its power. A separate protest collective called Volcano Group claimed responsibility for the fire, calling for the “complete destruction of the gigafactory.”

The police confirmed that the protesters tried to enter the plant’s premises, but were stopped, with several people taken into custody, and that it received a few reports of injuries.

Some of the demonstrators damaged a few Tesla cars using pyrotechnics and paint at a nearby car storage site, the police spokesperson added.

Tesla earlier said it would shut the factory for one day on May 10, without specifying a reason.