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The demonstrators gathered outside Tesla’s exhibition halls across the United States on Saturday to demonstrate against the drastic cuts Elon Musk, the billionaire councilor of President Donald Trump, impose on the federal government.
The organizers cited 37 events across the country as part of an effort coordinated by hashtags in social media #teslatakedown and #Teslatakover.
The Musk Automobile Company is becoming a target for political outrage in the United States and in Europe in response to the disproportionate influence of the billionaire in the White House.
Through his so-called Government Department of Effectiveness (DOGE), Musk orchestrated the rejection of tens of thousands of civil servants and had access to sensitive payments from the American Treasury. He also expressed his support for the German far right and called to the center-left government Sir Keir Starmer in the United Kingdom to be thrown.
What started with the owners of Tesla slaps bumper stickers On their cars, saying: “I bought this before Elon went crazy”, the activists projecting an image of musk making a gesture that many compared to a Nazi salute on the Tesla factory in Berlin.
The British campaign group led by Donkeys joined the Center for Political Beauty in Germany in January to project the image, part of a longer assembly of the recent political statements by Musk. The group said that it had been produced in response to the approval by Tesla leader of the German political party, AFD.
The local media reported on the criminal fire and tried a criminal fire at the Tesla exhibition halls in Oregon and Colorado. Earlier this month, a Tesla exhibition hall in The Hague was degraded with graffiti which included swastikas and anti-fascist slogans.
Dutch police confirmed to the FT that they were in contact with Tesla and that the investigation continued, but no arrest had yet been carried out.
Tesla’s stock, which climbed after the presidential election, dropped 6% on Tuesday at $ 328.50. It has rebounded to close the week at $ 355.84, but has been down 12% since the start of the year.
“The concern of the street is that Musk devotes so much time – even more than what we expected – Dogi takes away in Tesla in his time,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.
“In addition, actions related to Musk Doges and a more powerful alliance with Trump could clearly alienate certain consumers to move away from the Tesla brand.”
On Saturday, around 50 to 100 demonstrators proved to be in Portland, Oregon, wearing signs saying: “Dethrone Musk” and “Si Tesla survives, your country dies”.
Edward Niedermeyer, author of Ludidrous: Tesla Motors’ without eyeshadowwas one of them. Since Musk’s power does not derive from public service elections, he said, boycotting and divesting Tesla is the only tool available to brake her agenda.
He argued that Tesla was overvalued and that her main activity of manufacturing and selling cars deteriorated. Significant losses could oblige investors to sell, triggering a drop in the action course and forcing musk to sell part of its shares to respond to a margin call.
“Each sale of Tesla that you prevent, each dollar that did not spend a Tesla, not invoicing to the compressor – these further degrade the business,” said Niedermeyer.
“It is not easy, it is not guaranteed, but we have the possibility of getting rid of an enormous amount of wealth of Elon Musk.”
In Chicago, the demonstrators wore a banner saying “Stop buying Nazi cars”.
Lisa Pereira, a resident of the city, said that she had come to the demonstration because “you have to do something”. She said she was disturbed by the administration attempts to crush Diversity, equity and inclusion Initiatives, its aggressive immigration application and the power exerted by Musk.
“Everything is a bit out of the rails,” she said. “So I decided that I had to introduce myself. I had to be in wicks with my soul.
Chris White said he was assisted on Saturday because he fears “we live a fascist coup”.
“My children are trans,” he said. “I am told that they don’t exist. I do not know if their health care will exist. »»
Although a man has shouted with a truck, “Elon is my hero!” Most passers -by in the strongly democratic city have expressed their support.
“I prefer to buy a Rivian,” said one, referring to the manufacturer of electric trucks whose exhibition hall was at a house of houses in the demonstration.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
