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- In early June, despite Tesla’s 28% sales drop in Europe (marking its fifth consecutive month of decline), the company had reached a significant milestone worth celebrating – the production of its 8 millionth vehicle at the Berlin Gigafactory.
- To commemorate this achievement, the team gathered for a group photo at the facility, which has been operational since 2022 on the outskirts of the German capital.
- The editing attempt wasn’t flawless – part of the original arm remains visible on the left side, while another worker’s arm in the background mysteriously disappeared.
What started as a celebration photo at Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory quickly spiraled into controversy when an employee was spotted making a gesture linked to Hamas. This incident adds to the growing list of challenges facing Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company in Europe.
In early June, despite Tesla’s 28% sales drop in Europe (marking its fifth consecutive month of decline), the company had reached a significant milestone worth celebrating – the production of its 8 millionth vehicle at the Berlin Gigafactory. To commemorate this achievement, the team gathered for a group photo at the facility, which has been operational since 2022 on the outskirts of the German capital.
The problematic photo and hasty edit
The trouble began when the image was shared on X (formerly Twitter). Not everyone noticed immediately, but one worker appeared to be making a gesture associated with Hamas, the Palestinian political and paramilitary organization that controls Gaza.
The original post appeared on June 6 with a simple caption: “Produced our 8 millionth vehicle at Giga Berlin.” Even Musk himself reshared the photo without noticing the issue. Shortly after, the post was deleted and replaced with an edited version where the controversial gesture had been replaced with a “V” sign symbolizing victory and peace.
The edited version quickly gained over 577,000 views and 10,000 likes on Musk’s social platform. Despite the replacement, the original image continued circulating across various websites.
Placing the two images side by side reveals obvious editing. The employee who made the controversial gesture remains in the photo, but his arm position has been altered. It appears a fake arm was digitally added to create the victory sign. The editing attempt wasn’t flawless – part of the original arm remains visible on the left side, while another worker’s arm in the background mysteriously disappeared.
Legal implications in Germany
The gesture isn’t just controversial – it’s potentially illegal in Germany. German law prohibits the use of Hamas symbols “publicly, in a meeting, or in writings, audiovisual media, images or representations.” By sharing the original image, Tesla may have exposed itself to legal issues.
The German Interior Ministry has been clear on this matter, stating that “Hamas organization activities violate criminal law and go against the idea of international understanding.” This policy was established following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack against Israel, which triggered the wave of bombings by Netanyahu’s government on Gaza.
Since then, the conflict has claimed over 80,000 lives according to official data, making it one of the most devastating events in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Not the first headache for the Berlin Gigafactory
This isn’t the first time Tesla’s Berlin facility, which employs around 12,000 workers, has made headlines for the wrong reasons. Earlier in June, the automaker revealed that thousands of Tesla coffee mugs had gone missing from the plant.
Andre Thierig, the Gigafactory’s executive director, disclosed that a total of 65,000 coffee mugs had disappeared since the plant opened. “I’m tired of approving orders to buy more mugs,” Thierig stated during a meeting with Tesla workers. He threatened to stop providing cutlery in Tesla break rooms if the thefts didn’t end.
Tesla is working to cut production costs for its vehicles, and incidents like these don’t help. The company has already reduced its workforce at the factory by approximately 2% and hasn’t ruled out further cuts.
Meanwhile, the workers’ union spokesman, Jannes Bojert, has stated that employees face extreme pressure and are increasingly frustrated with safety issues at the plant. A report released shortly after the factory opened indicated that Tesla had recorded triple the number of workplace accidents compared to Audi’s plant in Ingolstadt.
(The whole situation feels like one of those weeks where Murphy’s Law is working overtime at Tesla – when it rains, it pours!)
