Protestors vs 12,000 jobs... hmm... a lot is riding on that plant. Tesla agreed up front to plant more trees than they were going to cut down, and the amount to be cleared is something like 200 acres. Musk wanted the plant in the EU, supposedly because the other possibility was post-Brexit Britain (and Tesla vehicles are an aspirational and popular brand in the UK). Obviously, the fact that VW, Daimler,and BMW are all in Germany was also a factor.
Makes one wonder who was paying the 0rotestors ...