Protesters have gathered outside a Tesla dealership in London, urging a boycott of the electric car manufacturer owned by Elon Musk. Organizers are advocating for Tesla owners to sell their vehicles and for individuals to divest stock holdings. The company has experienced a decline in shares amid competition from Chinese rivals and calls for a boycott due to Musk’s associations with US President Donald Trump and far-right causes.
At the Tesla center in Park Royal, west London, a small group of demonstrators displayed banners with messages such as “Honk if you hate Elon” and “Enough fascist nonsense.” Despite the protest, the dealership operated normally with staff appearing unaffected.
In a separate incident, two protesters affiliated with Just Stop Oil were arrested for pouring orange powdered paint over a robot at a Tesla shop in Shepherd’s Bush, west London. The protesters, Catherine Rennie Nash, a retired teacher aged 74, and Nigel Fleming, a former tax adviser aged 63, staged the act to challenge Musk and other billionaires for allegedly undermining climate science and democracy.
Tesla has faced protests and vandalism in the US as well. Authorities in Oregon are collaborating with the FBI to investigate gunshots fired at a Tesla dealership. Moreover, a woman in Denver faces charges related to vandalism at a Colorado Tesla dealership, including throwing Molotov cocktails at vehicles and defacing the building with anti-Tesla slogans.
In a display of support, US President Donald Trump was seen shopping for a new Tesla at the White House, where he admired a red sedan, expressing his approval of the vehicle. Despite ongoing controversies, Musk continues to lead Tesla, as well as oversee the operations of X, a social media platform, and SpaceX, a rocket manufacturing company, while also acting as an advisor to President Trump.