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Protests against billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk are set to spread across the UK from this weekend, as anti-hate and pro-climate campaigners unite to target the senior Trump ally.
A protest movement called TeslaTakedown is launching in Britain, aiming to lower Tesla’s stock price and hit its largest shareholder Musk in the pocket. It follows London Tesla showrooms being targeted multiple times in recent weeks, with campaigners urging Brits not to buy a ‘swasti-car’, alluding to Musk’s apparent Nazi salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Protesters say Elon Musk is using his wealth to fund far-right movements and climate change deniers. Musk was Donald Trump’s biggest donor, and the US president has rewarded him with a Cabinet position and unfettered access to Government spending, launching devastating cuts to departments, regulators, and thousands of federal employees.
In a statement online, TeslaTakedown says that Musk’s access to money “depends largely on the share price of Tesla, and Tesla’s share price depends, fundamentally, on people who care about the climate continuing to buy his cars and use his [electric vehicle] chargers.”
That’s because, according to reports, Musk has used as much as half of his Tesla shares as collateral on loans.
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“If the price keeps falling, banks will force him to sell those shares to pay down his debt. This will cause Tesla’s stock price to plummet and Musk won’t be able to keep up the fight,” another group, OccupyTesla, said in a message to the far-right oligarch’s opponents.
TeslaTakedown aims to stop Musk funding people like imprisoned far-right activist Tommy Robinson, Donald Trump and Europe’s far right, by tanking Tesla stock. “It’s gone up more than 600% in the last five years, and we, the people, can take it right back down again,” the activists said. Tesla stock is currently trading at around $240 per share, compared to around $440 a share in December.
It follows activists increasingly target Tesla around the world, including in Britain, in recent weeks.
The Stop Trump Coalition, which is backing anti-Tesla efforts in the UK, explained why in a message to supporters this Tuesday (18th): “Tesla showrooms are the nearest thing we have to a Trump HQ in most UK cities. It only takes a few people standing outside one to get the message out – and often shut the showroom for the day.”
Last Wednesday (12th March), Just Stop Oil activists poured orange liquid over a Tesla Optimus robot at the flagship London. Hundreds of anti-Musk guerilla ads have also appeared in the capital and elsewhere.
Catherine Rennie Nash, 74, a grandmother and retired teacher from Cumbria was arrested during the action.
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Nash said: “Billionaire Elon Musk likes to punch down. Instead of using his wealth to help solve the climate crisis, reduce world hunger or find a cure for cancer, he is throwing hundreds of thousands of people out of work, jeopardising climate science and denying healthcare to vulnerable people…
“He and his billionaire pals are looking to destroy democracy and he is bringing this to the UK. If you want to fight it you better learn how to resist.”
This weekend, protests are planned in London, Leeds, Manchester, and Winchester at Tesla stores. Campaigners are urging Brits to boycott Tesla products, sell Tesla stocks if they have them, and join the demonstrations.
Tactics likely to be used include plastering Tesla vehicles with anti-Musk flyers, and occupying Tesla showrooms. Some groups involved also back expanding protests to “mass sit-ins” and strikes.
Protesters accuse Musk of using his wealth to “destroy democracy” through buying influence in the Trump regime and being rewarded with almost unprecedented access into federal Government.
‘Don’t Buy a Swasticar’: Tesla Hit by UK Boycott Campaign Over Elon Musk’s Far-Right Support
Electric vehicle producer Tesla has been targeted by activists due to its far-right owner’s interference in British politics
In response to opposition to Musk, the Trump administration reportedly plans to classify some Tesla protesters as “domestic terrorists”. The President has also turned the White House lawn into the backdrop for a Tesla ad. Meanwhile, Trump’s automotive tariffs are also likely to benefit Musk’s stockholdings.
The Stop Trump Coalition, which led major protests against Trump in Britain during his first term, is throwing its weight behind TeslaTakedown UK.
The TeslaTakedown statement adds: “The stakes couldn’t be higher. No one is coming to save us. Not politicians, not the media, not the courts.”
Four things Brits can do (as well as protest) to support TeslaTakedown UK, according to the Stop Trump Coalition:
- Print out flyers and put them on the windscreens of some Teslas
- Send a Facebook message to Uber UK. Ask them to create an option for Uber Green that doesn’t have Tesla— “because Tesla is not sustainable.”
- Email your MP and ask them to attend the debate on the petition to tighten rules on political donations (amid rumours Musk could donate $100m to Reform UK)
- “Friends don’t let friends buy Teslas”. Share the FAQs to “understand why Musk and Tesla are threats to the climate.”
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Josiah Mortimer also writes the On the Ground column, exclusive to the print edition of Byline Times.
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