Protests at Tesla stores are gaining momentum across the US as people are fighting back against Elon Musk’s government takeover, and the hate is spreading to owners.
Last week, we reported on a new effort to organize protests at Tesla stores worldwide, but primarily in North America.
There were significant turnouts to disrupt Tesla operations by picketing in front of dozens of stores.
But the movement is ongoing, and there were protests against this weekend and more planned for the coming weeks:
Many of the protests from this weekend appeared to be bigger than the last ones.
There was a big turnout at a Tesla store in Seattle that reportedly ended up closing the location:
There were reportedly as many as 200 people who gathered to protest Elon Musk at the Fort Lauderdale store in Florida:
There are dozens of similar examples at Tesla stores all around the US and Canada, and the movement is now spreading to Europe.
These protests have been peaceful, and people are justifying going after Tesla for being Elon Musk’s piggy bank.
However, the growing negative sentiment against Tesla also attracts criminal activities like vandalism, and sometimes against Tesla owners rather the company itself.
Tesla owners, especially Cybertruck owners, have been increasingly reporting animosity from other road users, and in some cases, Tesla vehicles are getting tagged by anti-fascism graffiti.
In one case in California, a vandal put isolating foam into the charge connectors of a few charging stalls, rendering them useless.
Top comment by Expert (Retired)
I'm a Tesla owner for about two years now. I like my car. I cannot stand Elon. I own my car. The idea of selling it and buying something new is just not in the cards for many people like me.
Would I buy another one? Sure.. when Elon (and his family members) have absolutely nothing do with the company. Otherwise, no.
Okay, that being said, protesting Tesla showrooms? Yes... absolutely. But defacing private property like someone's car or even the charging stations? No. Not at all. It is not necessary and it will backfire.
If someone vandalized my car- someone who hates Trump with the fire of a thousand suns- what did that person prove?
The people who work in the showrooms (transparency: a friend of mine has been an employee for seven years, long before this insanity started) need to be kept safe. Elon's lunacy is not their fault.
But peaceful protests outside the showrooms- yes. Don't buy the cars: Yes, absolutely. Sell the stock if you have it (I do not.): Yes.
A couple of Supercharger stalls in Utah were graffitied—pictured above. Tesla said that it would remove the graffiti today and that it will “press charges for vandalism at Superchargers.”
Electrek’s Take
The blowback is more significant than I thought it would be. I thought things would end last weekend, but not only was this weekend’s protest bigger, but it sounds like now there are more being planned.
I couldn’t confirm if they were indeed able to close the store in Seattle, but if that’s true, that’s also a direct impact on Tesla’s operation.
It’s just sad that some vandals are going after Tesla owners. That’s just stupid to me. A
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