Mar 19, 2025 (theverge.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
165 Comments174 New<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n People participate in a \u201cTesla Takedown\u201d protest against Elon Musk outside a Tesla dealership in Pasadena, California, March 8, 2025. <\/em>AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrew J. Hawkins<\/a> is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tesla protesters are planning their \u201cbiggest day of action\u201d yet, aiming for 500 demonstrations at Tesla showrooms across the world on March 29th, organizers said during a mobilizing call Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The protests started at a handful of Tesla locations in early February, and has grown<\/a> to hundreds of locations across the world<\/a>, as more people have come out to demonstrate against CEO Elon Musk\u2019s dismantling of the federal government. Waving signs and chanting slogans, the so-called Tesla Takedown protesters have become a flashpoint for opposition to Musk\u2019s actions to eliminate federal aid programs<\/a> and fire tens of thousands of government employees<\/a> as the head of DOGE<\/a>, or the Department of Government Efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have also been an uptick in incidents of arson, vandalism, and violence<\/a> against Tesla showrooms that, while unrelated to the protests, have led to Musk and President Donald Trump labeling them \u201cdomestic terrorism.\u201d<\/a> Other members of the Trump administration have signaled the protesters could come under scrutiny as well. Attorney General Pam Bondi promised<\/a> \u201csevere consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hour-long call, which included actors, filmmakers, members of Congress, federal workers, academics, and journalists, tried to steer clear of Trump\u2019s talk of \u201cterrorism,\u201d keeping the focus on Musk and the effort to tank the company\u2019s stock price. Tesla\u2019s stock has lost nearly 40 percent of its value<\/a> since the beginning of the year, as poor sales and rising competition in the US and overseas have fueled growing pessimism about the company\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no conspiracy, there is no well-funded cabal,\u201d said actor and filmmaker Alex Winter, who helped promote the protests early on on BlueSky. \u201cIt\u2019s just Elon Musk who has taken Tesla down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alice Hu, executive director of Planet Over Profit, said that protesters were aiming for 500 events across the world on March 29th, with demonstrations at all 277 Tesla showrooms in the US, as well as hundreds more overseas. Protesters should even feel free to demonstrate at Supercharger stations, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no conspiracy, there is no well-funded cabal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to show Elon that he can throw a tantrum online because his stocks are tanking,\u201d Hu said. \u201cHe can get Trump to put on a humiliating used car show in front of the White House. These wannabe authoritarians can try to intimidate us from exercising our First Amendment rights, but they can\u2019t stop us from fighting back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizers were adamant that their movement was peaceful, often going out of their way to stress the nonviolent nature of the demonstrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe things that we\u2019re fighting for, we are fighting for our country,\u201d Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.) said. \u201cWe\u2019re fighting for democracy. We\u2019re fighting for our freedoms. And when I say fighting, I\u2019m saying that figuratively. Obviously, everything that I am promoting is nonviolent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Trump promising domestic terrorism charges for violence against Tesla, organizers advised that protesters consult attorneys to better understand the laws in their states. Some states have statutes that could be used to intimidate protesters, so its worthwhile to know what you\u2019re up against, said Lauren Regan, executive director and senior staff attorney at the Civil Liberties Defense Center. She said in her experience, states are often hesitant to prosecute activists because there\u2019s a strong likelihood those statutes will be found unconstitutional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LFG! #teslatakedown GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION March 29Every showroom in America500+ around the worldLet’s send these techno-fascists, broligarchs and old fashioned Nazis a message loud and clear. NO WAYPlan an action or find one near you: teslatakedown.com\u2014 #TeslaTakedown (@teslatakedown.com)<\/a> 2025-03-20T01:48:34.522Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cTheir goal is to just pluck a few individuals out and scare the rest of us into submission and apathy,\u201d Regan said. \u201cThere are going to be some areas of the country that are very conservative and are gonna be hard on dissidents or activists, no matter what the timing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sharp decrease in Tesla\u2019s stock in recent weeks has clearly invigorated the protests. Several speakers spoke of Tesla\u2019s collapse as not only possible, but likely. Micah Lee, an investigative journalist who was among a group of Twitter users to have their accounts banned by Musk shortly after his acquisition of the social platform<\/a>, said that going after Tesla\u2019s value was a \u201csolid strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we kill the Tesla brand, if we drive down the stock price low enough, we can force him to sell his stock to pay back the billions of dollars of debt that he took on to buy Twitter,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThis will drive Tesla\u2019s stock into a death spiral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk\u2019s status as the richest man in the world is largely thanks to Tesla\u2019s stock price. He owns 13 percent of the company, making him the single largest shareholder. As of today, the company is worth $739 billion \u2014 down from 1.08 trillion earlier this year, meaning Musk\u2019s stake is worth about $96 billion. And Tesla\u2019s board of directors is composed of close friends and relatives, raising concerns about its independence from the controversial CEO. Several board members, including chair Robyn Denholm and James Murdoch, have sold over $100 million in Tesla stock<\/a> in recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis will drive Tesla\u2019s stock into a death spiral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s not clear that hurting Tesla will actually matter much to Musk. He remains in Trump\u2019s good graces, and is wielding vast amounts of control within the federal government. Even if these protests can seriously affect Tesla, Musk has consolidated so much political power that, after a certain point, it\u2019s not clear whether market forces still apply as strongly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk\u2019s love of memes \u2014 he recently quipped \u201cI am become meme\u201d at CPAC<\/a> \u2014 is a sign that the world\u2019s richest man is living in a different reality than most people<\/a>, which could be an advantage, said Joan Donovan, an assistant professor of journalism and emerging media studies at Boston University who studies media manipulation, disinformation, and online political movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe thinks of himself as this black hat hacker that\u2019s broken into the government and socially engineered his way into the Treasury and he\u2019s gonna abscond with all the data, it\u2019s an obvious data heist,\u201d Donovan said. \u201cBut he believes he\u2019s living in a meme, and so we need to be very clear about what our demands are, about what our bright lines are, and that we\u2019re not gonna stop until Tesla is done with Musk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In simplest terms, the protesters said they were not backing down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFuck around and find out,\u201d said Keturah Johnson, a veteran and vice president of AFA-CWA. \u201cProtect trans folks, respect veterans, fight it to save lives, and let\u2019s take Tesla the fuck down. Solidarity forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n *******************************************************************************<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sign Up to Host or Find an Action Near You<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Share Your Story!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Background image by Marc Fischer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Preview image by Astrid Kane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take action at Tesla showrooms everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hurting Tesla is stopping Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Stopping Musk will help save lives and our democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stakes couldn\u2019t be higher. No one is coming to sae us\u2014not politicians, not the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Join us. Sign up to host or find an action near you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #TeslaTakedown #BoycottTesla<\/p>\n\n\n\n By texting you agree to receive messages from Tesla Takedown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n FIND A PROTEST NOW<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n TO DISTRIBUTE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n FOR PROTESTORS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n LAUNCH<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n How to Divest from Tesla!<\/a><\/strong>\u200b\u200b<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Funds that hold Tesla Stock<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the BetterThanATesla site for alternatives!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Elon Musk\u2019s gutting of US agencies is illegal, experts say. How do you muzzle DOGE?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump Lawyer Downplays Elon Musk\u2019s Authority In Court Hearing \u2014Here\u2019s What To Know About DOGE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Elon Musk is unfathomably rich. Here’s where his money is stashed.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Elon Musk is $70 billion richer since Trump victory due to Tesla stock surge<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Expansive Analysis of Tesla and Musk’s role<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re Dealing With Actual Nazis<\/strong><\/a> – Article on Musk and Doge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Toxic 100 Air Polluters Index (2024 Report, Based on 2022 Data)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tesla Deaths<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk’s Massive Tesla Lithium Plant Hunts for Water in Drought-Hit Texas<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tesla is sued over air pollution from factory operations in Fremont, California<\/a><\/strong><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizers are calling for 500 demonstrations at all 277 Tesla showrooms, as well as Supercharger stations, on March 29th. by Andrew J. Hawkins Mar 19, 2025 (theverge.com) 165 Comments174 New People participate in a \u201cTesla Takedown\u201d protest against Elon Musk outside a Tesla dealership in Pasadena, California, March 8, 2025. AFP via Getty Images… Continue reading ![\"US-POLITICS-MUSK-TESLA-PROTEST\"\/](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/gettyimages-2203477758.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=4.953125%2C0%2C90.09375%2C100&w=2400\")
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TESLA TAKEDOWN<\/em>
A Peaceful Protest Movement
Sell Your Teslas
Dump Your Stock
Stop Musk Now
Join Us<\/h3>\n\n\n\nGet Involved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Text MUSK to 51905 to join the fight!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Join us on Bluesky!<\/a>
Know your rights!<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\nProtest Flyers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hashtag Banner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
About Musk, Tesla and DOGE<\/a><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
![\"protest.png\"\/](\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/26ad6e_50d3a06d9f674cf29b767a3641041894~mv2.png\/v1\/fill\/w_683,h_947,al_c,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto\/26ad6e_50d3a06d9f674cf29b767a3641041894~mv2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAbout Musk, Tesla and DOGE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tesla Takedown Press<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"