At this time 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 centered on the divisive efforts of Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the top of the Division of Authorities Effectivity for the reason that begin of Donald Trump’s Presidency.
The protests don’t seem like particularly massive, 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 website for organizing protests reveals rallies deliberate for cities in Ohio, Florida, Washington, New Mexico, and Alberta, Canada.
Tesla buyers have expressed concern that Musk’s actions are negatively impacting the corporate, which noticed its inventory worth plummet by 21 p.c since Trump’s inauguration based on an ABC story this week. Inside the corporate, workers and senior workers stated in a latest assembly that “the corporate can be higher off if Musk resigned,” The Washington Submit reported.
One of many bigger rallies at present was exterior of Tesla’s Manhattan showroom, the place a earlier protest happened on February ninth. Within the movies beneath, 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 help for far-right teams like Germany’s AfD social gathering or his suspicious salute on Inauguration Day.
Different posts confirmed what protests seemed like at present in Berkeley, California:
San Francisco, California:
And Kansas Metropolis, Missouri:
Related gatherings occurred in Austin, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Boston, Massachusetts. In the meantime, few seem to have proven up at present 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 few 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. Exterior 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 it’s important to determine who you’re prepared to align with. So lengthy Tesla,” and noting that she had donated the cash to NPR, which is at the moment 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.
