Additional police may be brought in to protect electric carmaker Tesla's plant outside Berlin, the interior minister for the German state of Brandenburg has said.
Minister Michael Stübgen, of the centre-right Christian Democrats, wants to use the additional officers to protect Tesla from attacks and deter violent demonstrators.
Activists set up camp in the nearby woods, which are state property, to protest Tesla's plans to expand the plant and clear the forest. Tesla's expansion plans have also prompted environmental concerns about potential risks for sensitive nearby wetlands.
The camp's protest authorization was set to expire on Saturday, raising the prospect of police action to clear the forest. However Stübgen announced that permission would be extended through Thursday.
The activists had registered the camp as a political gathering, which is protected by German law and does not require special police permission. Such gatherings, however, can be prohibited under certain circumstances.
