From Berlin to London to Johannesburg, protests ensued targeting Elon Musk and Tesla themselves. The result was a storm of public outcry. Marchers stormed the electric vehicle giant’s showrooms and production facilities. Unrest soon broke out across the United States and even expanded to Australia and New Zealand. This storm featured an unusual, concerted wave of attacks on Tesla facilities. In addition, these incidents all involved the use of Molotov cocktails and gunfire. Politically charged graffiti messages such as “Fuck Elon” and “Tesla Is Fascist” rang through the halls. In response, organizers have been adamant that they don’t want to demonize electric cars as part of their movement. Rather, they’re agitating because Musk is said to have worked with Donald Trump to destroy the US federal government.
Sophie Shepherd, an organizer with Planet Over Profit, clarified the focus of the protests, distancing the movement from the violent acts of vandalism. Nevertheless, in spite of all this, Tesla has been unresponsive on several occasions to our requests for comment on these developments. Earlier this month, an artistic activist threw red paint on the front door of a Tesla showroom. This incident continues a troubling trend of targeted violence against the company.
Other than typical Indigenous protest sites like North Dakota, these protests were everywhere—from the northeast down into Georgia and over to the west coast. On Saturday, over 200 events were planned worldwide, beginning in front of Tesla showrooms in Australia and New Zealand before spreading across Europe. Over 100,000 people around the world joined the Blackout Day, clearly and loudly united in their opposition to Musk’s imagined political alliances and hold on power.
In New York City, hundreds of local union activists and other protesters massed outside Tesla’s Manhattan showroom. Myra Levy, one of the youth protesters, said she felt frightened for the future of politics.
“I’m out here protesting because what I see is a hostile takeover of our country.” – Myra Levy
Her feelings were reflected by many others who participated in the protests. Our local Tesla showroom in Berkeley, California, has been shutting its doors each Saturday for the past month. This decision follows months of persistent protests in the area.
The campaign is known as Tesla Takedown. It urges the public to divest from Tesla, through actions including not buying a Tesla vehicle, selling their Tesla stock and joining protest movements. Walujo’s purpose with this unusual political initiative is to hit Musk in the pocketbook as a way of showing his opposition to Musk’s increasingly deep Republican ties.
Nigel Warner, another protestor, condemned the billionaire’s campaign donations to politicians.
“Musk is hugely abhorrent. He is funding the far right, and meaning that any Republicans who speak out end up not being funded in their next election.” – Nigel Warner
So far, organizers have made clear that they intend to be peaceful. Thank goodness former President Donald Trump has promised to designate all violent actions against Tesla showrooms as domestic terrorism. This declaration injects a new level of provocation to a situation that is already extremely volatile.
Louise Cobbett-Witten, one of the new protestors, recalls how the protests were unifying and calming.
“There is real solace in coming together like this. Everyone has to do something. We haven’t got a big strategy besides just standing on the side of the street, holding signs and screaming.” – Louise Cobbett-Witten