A wave of protests against Elon Musk’s Tesla have spread to Britain amid a growing backlash over the billionaire’s support for Donald Trump.
Two protests at dealerships in London and Manchester are planned this weekend, as part of a series of “Tesla Takedown” demonstrations that have become frequent sights in the US.
Activists have held regular protests outside the company’s facilities, brandishing placards urging people to boycott the company. The movement is also urging owners to sell their Teslas.
Tesla has also suffered from several criminal attacks, including several charging stations being set alight in Boston, a suspected arson attack on a dealership in France, and shots being fired at a dealership in Oregon.
Mr Trump has claimed he will have people who have vandalised Tesla cars and stores designated as domestic terrorists.
While many of the protests have been non-violent, in some cases there has been a heavy police presence and arrests after demonstrators entered property.
Signs and graffiti have frequently used Nazi imagery, after a gesture by Mr Musk that critics likened to a Nazi salute following Mr Trump’s inauguration.
Mr Musk has claimed without evidence that the protests are being funded by ActBlue, a Democratic Party fundraising group. Tesla Takedown says it has not been funded by the group.
Tesla Takedown’s website now lists two protests in London and Manchester scheduled for this Saturday, alongside demonstrations in Iceland, the Netherlands and Finland. Two previous protests in London were sparsely attended.
The website says it is “tanking Tesla’s stock price to stop Musk” and claims the billionaire is “destroying democracy”.
On Wednesday, two Just Stop Oil supporters separately poured liquid latex over a Tesla Optimus robot at a Tesla store in Westfield, White City, west London.
The protests were partly organised by Alex Winter, an actor and film-maker best known for appearing alongside Keanu Reeves as Bill Preston in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Tesla’s share price fell below it’s pre-election price for the first time this week amid widespread market chaos and growing concerns about how sales will be affected by Mr Musk’s politics.
The company’s customers have traditionally been Left-leaning environmentalists willing to pay a premium for electric cars.
Mr Trump promoted the company at the White House this week, getting in a Tesla with Mr Musk and promising to buy one.
Tesla sales have fallen in many key markets. They rose in the UK in February, although at a slower rate than the wider electric car market, which surged ahead of new taxes on expensive EVs.
