Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Tesla stores in the United States on Saturday as part of a global day of opposition to Elon Musk, the CEO of the car brand and close adviser to Donald Trump.
At the New York store in Manhattan, between 500 and 1,000 people demanded the resignation of the world’s richest man, now heading a government efficiency commission (Doge) tasked by President Trump with tracking fraud and cutting perceived unnecessary federal budget expenditures.
The protest was notably organised by environmentalists from Planet Over Profit, who claim that “stopping Musk will save lives and protect our democracy."
"Elon Musk must go,” they chanted in unison outside one of the approximately 200 Tesla stores in the United States and Europe where calls to gather had been issued.
Among the demonstrators was Amy Neifeld, a 70-year-old American psychologist who hadn’t protested since the Vietnam War demonstrations in the 1970s. She believes Elon Musk is leading the United States towards “fascism.”
Tesla did not respond when asked about the protests.
In recent weeks, acts of vandalism and protest against Tesla have increased, driven by Elon Musk’s political involvement. The U.S. government now considers attacks on Tesla as “domestic terrorism,” a point reiterated this week by Justice Minister Pam Bondi.
On Thursday, an American suspected of setting fire to five Tesla vehicles and riddling them with bullets from a semi-automatic rifle in Las Vegas was placed in pre-trial detention and faces up to 20 years in prison for these acts.
