Why a Gesture from a Tesla Employee Caused Controversy and Prompted a Quick Photoshop | Carscoops

      What initially appears to be a celebratory photo at Tesla's Giga Berlin facility has sparked controversy due to an employee's gesture associated with Hamas.

      The image, which was posted on social media to mark a production milestone at Giga Berlin, featured a worker making a gesture linked to the Palestinian militant group. Tesla later edited the photo, replacing the worker's arm with a peace sign.

      In June, despite experiencing a fifth consecutive month of declining sales in Europe, Tesla achieved a significant milestone by producing its eighth millionth vehicle at the Berlin Gigafactory. To commemorate the occasion, they shared a group photo of their employees. However, some details in the image raised eyebrows.

      While not immediately apparent to everyone, one worker's gesture was reminiscent of a symbol associated with Hamas. This salute was promptly removed and substituted with a V sign, representing victory and peace.

      The original anniversary post was made on X (formerly Twitter) on June 6, with the caption stating, “Produced our 8 millionth vehicle at Giga Berlin.” CEO Elon Musk, known for his casual approach to gestures, retransmitted the image without noticing the issue. Nonetheless, the original photo was soon deleted and replaced with an edited version.

      The revised image quickly received over 577,000 views and garnered 10,000 likes. However, the unedited version continues to circulate on various sites, including Teslarati.

      When comparing the two versions of the image, the modifications are noticeable. The worker who made the original gesture is still present, but now has what appears to be a digitally altered arm executing a safer victory sign. It seems they attempted to align the arms with those of other workers in the photograph. The issue lies in that part of the original arm remains visible on the left side, while another worker’s arm, awkwardly positioned in the background, has inexplicably disappeared.

      Andre Thierig, Senior Director of Manufacturing at Giga Berlin, shared the modified photo on LinkedIn the following day, praising the team for their achievement. However, neither Tesla nor Musk addressed the initial gesture or the photo's editing.

      As reported by Handelsblatt, the display of Hamas symbols is illegal under German law, which prohibits them in public, at meetings, and in written or visual media. Sharing the original image could potentially expose Tesla to legal issues.

      Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior has made its stance clear, stating, “The activities of the Hamas organization violate criminal law and are directed against the idea of international understanding.” This policy was established following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israeli territory, which sparked the current war in Gaza and has led to over 80,000 reported casualties, marking one of the most tragic events in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict.