San Francisco (AP) – Demonstrators against the purge of the US government of billionaire Elon Musk under President Donald Trump demonstrated on Saturday outside of Tesla dealers through the United States and certain European cities in the last attempt to brew the wealthiest human fortune.
The demonstrators tried to degenerate a movement targeting the dealers and vehicles of Tesla in opposition to the role of Musk as head of the newly created department of government efficiency, or Doge, where he had access to sensitive data and closed entire agencies while he is trying to reduce government spending. Most of the estimated fortune of $ 340 billion in Musk consists of its stock in the electric vehicle company, which continues to work while working alongside Trump.
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After somewhat sporadic previous demonstrations on Saturday marked the first attempt to surround the 277 of the exhibition halls and service centers of the automotive manufacturer in the United States in the hope of deepening a recent drop in business sales.
In the early afternoon, crowds ranging from a few tens to hundreds of demonstrators had flocked to Tesla in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Minnesota and the original state of the automaker. Photos published on social networks have shown that demonstrators brandishing signs such as “Honk If You Dete Elon” and “Fight the Billionaire Broligarchy”.
As the day progressed, the demonstrations took place in the country outside Tesla’s locations in major cities such as Washington, Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Seattle, as well as cities of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Smaller groups of counter-demonstrators have also appeared on certain sites.
“Hey, hey, Ho, Ho, Elon Musk must leave!” Several dozen people sang outside an exhibition hall in Dublin, California, about 35 miles (60 miles) east of San Francisco, while a smaller group of Trump supporters praised American flags on the other side of the street.
A much larger crowd has gone around another exhibition hall in Berkeley nearby, chanting slogans to the rhythm of the battery.
“We live in a fascist state,” said Dennis Fagaly, a retired high school teacher from neighboring Oakland, “and we have to stop this or we will lose our whole country and everything that is good in the United States.”
The anti-MUSC feeling extends beyond the United States
The Tesla Takedown movement also hoped to join the demonstrators in more than 230 locations in other parts of the world. Although the participations in Europe were not as important, the anti-MUSC feeling was similar.
About two dozen people kept signs by castigating the billionaire outside a dealership in London while cars and trucks passed from horns in support.
A displayed sign represented the musk next to an image of Adolf Hitler making the Nazi salute – a gesture that Musk was accused of resuming shortly after the inauguration of Trump on January 20. A person in a Tyrannosaurus Rex costume held another sign with a photo of the musk arm gesture who said: “You thought the Nazis were turned off. Do not buy a swasticar.”
“We just want to be strong, make noise, make people aware of the problems we face,” said Cam Whitten, an American who came to the London demonstration.
The demonstrators opposing billionaire Elon Musk come together in front of a Tesla dealer in Acton, London, Great Britain, March 29, 2025. Photo by Jaimi Joy / Reuters
Tesla Takedown was organized by a group of supporters who included disillusioned owners of the car manufacturer, celebrities such as actor John Cusack, and at least a Democratic Party legislator, representative Jasmine Crockett from Dallas.
“I will continue to shout in the corridors of the congress. I just need you all to make sure that you all continue to shout in the streets,” said Crockett during an organizational call this month.
Another Democratic legislator, the Pramila Jaypal representative, presented himself during a demonstration in Seattle, which she represents at the Congress.
Musc’s backlash has included vandalism
Some people have gone beyond the protest, by setting fire to Tesla on fire or by committing other acts of vandalism that the American prosecutor Pam Bondi decried as domestic terrorism. At a company meeting on March 20, Musk said he was stunned by attacks and said the vandals should “stop the psycho acting”.
Crockett and other supporters of Tesla Takedown stressed the importance of Saturday demonstrations to remain peaceful.
Find out more: While Musk plays a leading role in Trump’s White House, violent attacks on Tesla Spike dealerships
But the police were investigating a fire that destroyed seven teslas in northwestern Germany early in the morning. It was not immediately clear if the fire, which was extinguished by the firefighters, was linked to the demonstrations.
In Watertown, Massachusetts, local police reported that the side rear view mirror of a black van struck two people during a demonstration outside a Tesla service center, according to the Boston Herald. The suspect was quickly identified by police on the scene, who said there were no serious injuries.
Musk maintains that the future of the company remains brilliant
An increasing number of consumers who bought Tesla vehicles before Musk took control of Doge sought to sell or exchange them, while others slapped on stickers for bumpers seeking to distance themselves from it.
But Musk did not seem to be concerned about a prolonged collapse in new sales at the March meeting, during which he reassured the workers that the company’s model would remain “the best -selling car on Earth this year”. He also predicted that Tesla would have sold more than 10 million cars worldwide by next year, against around 7 million currently.
“There are times when there are difficult times, when there is stormy time, but what I am here to tell you is that the future is incredibly brilliant and exciting,” said Musk.
After Trump was elected last November, investors initially saw the Musk alliance with the president as a positive development for Tesla and its longtime efforts to launch a network of autonomous cars.
This optimism contributed to increasing Tesla’s shares by 70% between the elections and the inauguration of Trump on January 20, creating an additional $ 560 billion in the wealth for shareholders. But practically all these gains have evaporated in the midst of investors’ concerns concerning reactions, late sales in the United States, Europe and China, and spending time supervising Doge.
“It continues to be a moment of truth for Musk to sail in this moment of brand tornado crisis and put itself on the other side of this dark chapter for Tesla,” said Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities analyst, in a recent research note.
The writers of the Associated Press Terry Chea in Berkeley, California, Mustakim Hasnath in London and Stefanie Dazio in Germany contributed.
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