As we speak marked a second weekend of scattered protests at Tesla showrooms, following a “TeslaTakeover” hashtag that has been trending on Twitter various Bluesky this week. Protestors’ messages largely targeted on the divisive efforts of Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the pinnacle of the Division of Authorities Effectivity because the begin of Donald Trump’s Presidency.
The protests don’t seem like particularly giant, however they’re quite a few, starting from locations like New York to lesser-known locales like Minneapolis, Minnesota suburb Golden Valley. A part of Motion Community’s web site for organizing protests reveals rallies deliberate for cities in Ohio, Florida, Washington, New Mexico, and Alberta, Canada.
Tesla traders have expressed concern that Musk’s actions are negatively impacting the corporate, which noticed its inventory value plummet by 21 % since Trump’s inauguration in line with an ABC story this week. Inside the corporate, staff and senior employees stated in a latest assembly that “the corporate can be higher off if Musk resigned,” The Washington Submit reported.
One of many bigger rallies immediately was exterior of Tesla’s Manhattan showroom, the place a earlier protest occurred on February ninth. Within the movies under, individuals could be heard chanting, “Don’t purchase swasticars” and “Elon Musk can go to Mars; we don’t want your Nazi automobiles,” maybe referencing Musk’s assist for far-right teams like Germany’s AfD celebration or his suspicious salute on Inauguration Day.
Different posts confirmed what protests appeared like immediately in Berkeley, California:
San Francisco, California:
And Kansas Metropolis, Missouri:
Comparable gatherings occurred in Austin, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Boston, Massachusetts. In the meantime, few seem to have proven up immediately in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
Or Baltimore, Maryland, the place a single particular person held an indication exterior a Tesla showroom:
Actor, director, and progressive activist Alex Winter, who closely promoted this weekend’s protests over the previous couple of days, posted a picture of himself holding an indication urging individuals to promote their Teslas at a protest in Pasadena, California:
Winter re-shared posts from protests at Tesla showrooms within the California cities Corte Madera, San Jose, and Los Angeles, together with others from individuals who’d posted about rallies in Rockville, Maryland; Tucscon, Arizona; and Golden Valley, Minnesota.
There are a lot of posts on Bluesky with the #TeslaTakeover hashtag, however far fewer present up when looking X, Instagram, or Threads. Outdoors of picketing, others protested Musk in numerous methods. Musician Sheryl Crow posted a video of a Tesla being pushed away on a flatbed truck, together with a message saying “There comes a time when you must resolve who you’re prepared to align with. So lengthy Tesla,” and noting that she had donated the cash to NPR, which is presently threatened by an FCC investigation into public media.
Extra protests are anticipated, together with in the course of the President’s Day vacation on Monday, with one set for Lowell, Maine and a minimum of one different in Richmond, Virginia. These are along with quite a few demonstrations deliberate this weekend that don’t goal Tesla showrooms however nonetheless relate to the actions of Musk, DOGE, and President Trump extra broadly.
