As we speak marked a second weekend of scattered protests at Tesla showrooms, following a “TeslaTakeover” hashtag that has been trending on Twitter different Bluesky this week. Protestors’ messages largely centered on the divisive efforts of Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the pinnacle of the Division of Authorities Effectivity for the reason that begin of Donald Trump’s Presidency.
The protests don’t look 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 bit of Motion Community’s web site for organizing protests exhibits 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 value plummet by 21 p.c since Trump’s inauguration in keeping 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 Publish reported.
One of many bigger rallies at present was exterior of Tesla’s Manhattan showroom, the place a earlier protest befell on February ninth. Within the movies beneath, folks might 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 appeared 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 individual 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 folks 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 lots 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 it’s a must to resolve who you might be keen 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 throughout the President’s Day vacation on Monday, with one set for Lowell, Maine and not less than 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.
