Leftwing militants claim responsibility for arson attack on Berlin power grid
www.theguardian.com
Protest over climate crisis and AI has cut power to tens of thousands of homes which may take days to fully restore

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/44925200

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The fire that broke out on a bridge across the Teltow canal in the south-west of the capital early on Saturday could deprive up to 35,000 homes and 1,900 businesses of electricity – and in many cases heat – until 8 January, the grid company Stromnetz Berlin said.

As state security authorities opened an investigation into the cause of the blaze near the Lichterfelde heat and power station that damaged several high-voltage cables, the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) said.

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The area affected by the power cut includes many elderly care homes and hospitals as well as high-rise buildings with residents who are reliant on elevators that are now out of order. Berlin received moderate snowfall at the weekend and night-time temperatures plunged well below freezing.

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A previous arson attack attributed to the far left in September knocked out electricity for 60 hours in the south-east of the city in what was reportedly Berlin’s longest power cut since the second world war.

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  • A_norny_mousse@feddit.orgEnglish
    7·
    4 days ago

    Further:

    In the message, which included details about the fire, Vulkangruppe said that datacentres used for AI were exacerbating the problem of climate-damaging energy consumption while creating dangers to society.

    “We are contributing to our own surveillance and it is comprehensive. The tech corporations are in the hands of men with power which we give them,” the group said. “One day we will simply sit before bright screens or dead machines while dying ourselves of thirst and hunger.”

    The group said it wished to apologise to the less well-off who had been affected by the power cut, but said its sympathy was limited “for the many villa owners” now in the dark.

    BTW:

    In March 2024, Vulkangruppe claimed an arson attack against a pylon at the Tesla gigafactory outside Berlin that cut off electricity to the plant and temporarily halted production.