Berlin Hit by Massive Power Grid Attack as Leftwing Militants Claim Responsibility
A devastating arson attack on Berlin's power grid has left tens of thousands of households without electricity, plunging the city into chaos. The fire, which broke out early Saturday morning, has caused widespread disruption and is expected to last until at least January 8th.
According to officials, around 35,000 homes and 1,900 businesses are affected by the outage, with many elderly care homes and hospitals severely impacted due to their reliance on life-sustaining equipment. The area most badly hit is the affluent Lichterfelde district, where the grid company, Stromnetz Berlin, reported that 10,000 households had already regained power.
However, efforts to restore electricity to the remaining households are being hindered by freezing temperatures, which have made it difficult for teams to lay new underground cables. As a result, many may be forced to wait until Thursday afternoon to receive their light and heat back on.
The attackers have since claimed responsibility for the attack, which they described as an "act of self-defence" aimed at cutting off energy supplies to what they call "the ruling class". The group, known as the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group), targeted areas with high concentrations of wealthy residents and businesses in an effort to bring attention to their cause.
The group's manifesto, a 2,500-word pamphlet, accuses datacentres used for artificial intelligence (AI) of exacerbating the climate crisis while creating dangers to society. They also condemn the exploitation of renewable energy sources, calling it "greed for energy" driven by corporate interests.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner has described the attack as having a clear political motive, with authorities now investigating whether this was a coordinated effort to disrupt critical infrastructure. Experts have warned that such attacks can be devastatingly effective due to the widespread availability of information online and the relative ease with which specialists can target energy infrastructure without needing extensive knowledge.
This incident marks the latest in a series of high-profile attacks attributed to the far left, including an earlier arson attack that caused 60 hours of power outages in south-east Berlin last September.
A devastating arson attack on Berlin's power grid has left tens of thousands of households without electricity, plunging the city into chaos. The fire, which broke out early Saturday morning, has caused widespread disruption and is expected to last until at least January 8th.
According to officials, around 35,000 homes and 1,900 businesses are affected by the outage, with many elderly care homes and hospitals severely impacted due to their reliance on life-sustaining equipment. The area most badly hit is the affluent Lichterfelde district, where the grid company, Stromnetz Berlin, reported that 10,000 households had already regained power.
However, efforts to restore electricity to the remaining households are being hindered by freezing temperatures, which have made it difficult for teams to lay new underground cables. As a result, many may be forced to wait until Thursday afternoon to receive their light and heat back on.
The attackers have since claimed responsibility for the attack, which they described as an "act of self-defence" aimed at cutting off energy supplies to what they call "the ruling class". The group, known as the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group), targeted areas with high concentrations of wealthy residents and businesses in an effort to bring attention to their cause.
The group's manifesto, a 2,500-word pamphlet, accuses datacentres used for artificial intelligence (AI) of exacerbating the climate crisis while creating dangers to society. They also condemn the exploitation of renewable energy sources, calling it "greed for energy" driven by corporate interests.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner has described the attack as having a clear political motive, with authorities now investigating whether this was a coordinated effort to disrupt critical infrastructure. Experts have warned that such attacks can be devastatingly effective due to the widespread availability of information online and the relative ease with which specialists can target energy infrastructure without needing extensive knowledge.
This incident marks the latest in a series of high-profile attacks attributed to the far left, including an earlier arson attack that caused 60 hours of power outages in south-east Berlin last September.
but I think its kinda messed up how ppl are using violence as an "act of self-defence" tho... like they're thinking the gov can't handle them thru democratic means, and instead they resort to hurting innocent ppl 
. anywayz i guess its good that the Vulkangruppe ppl are talking about the climate crisis and renewable energy tho - we really do need more awareness on those issues! 
the problem is how they're goin about it tho... we can't just have people with extremist views takin over & causin chaos 
like what's going on with these attacks and how they're affecting people's lives 
you know some people are just causing a lot of problems and it's not right 
like, isn't that just another way of saying they're angry and need to lash out? 
and what's up with the manifesto being 2,500 words long? that's a whole lotta venting or whatever 
️. just like how the vulkangruppe thinks its "self-defence" is justified, but really its just causing harm to innocent people 
. maybe berlin can be an opportunity for us to come together as a community and work towards a better future, one that balances our needs with the greater good 
.
this power grid attack is super concerning, especially with all those elderly care homes and hospitals affected... like what's next? 
freezing temps are bad enough, now they're gonna make it even harder to restore power. i feel for the ppl stuck in the dark 
️ at least the Vulkangruppe gave their manifesto tho, curious to see how that'll play out 
hope berlin recovers soon 
. Who are these Vulkangruppe people anyway? They're just a bunch of extremist fools who don't care about innocent lives being affected by their tantrums 
.
. The authorities need to step up and do something about this kind of threat, it's not like the perpetrators are going to be caught anytime soon 
.
.
. Like, who are you defending against? The corporations that make energy? It's just so simplistic and misguided 
. I'm all for change, but we need to do it in a way that actually benefits people, not just some radical group with a manifesto 
.
.
those guys are straight up reckless 
freezing temps making it harder to fix the grid lol what's next? 
they're all like "we're fighting against the system" and then they go and destroy the very thing they claim to want to change 
but do they have to resort to violence? that just seems like a super selfish way of trying to make a point 
can't we just talk about this stuff instead of causing chaos?
that sounds more like a bunch of entitled whiners than actual revolutionaries to me 
what's going on with these left wing militants? attacking infrastructure and blaming it all on corporations is just plain wrong 
Can we pls get a update on how this is all gonna play out? 
Can't they just say what they want to say in a clear & concise way instead of writing a whole essay about it? 
. This Vulkangruppe group needs to find a better way to express themselves & make a difference without hurting others 
#criticalinfrastructure #powergridsecurity 
this is getting outta hand... i mean i get it they wanna make a point but attacking ppl like thats not the way its done