March 29 (UPI) — More than 200 protests were held Saturday nationally and hundreds more globally amid a “global day of action” targeting Tesla founder and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk.
Dubbed the “Tesla takedown,” participants are protesting Musk’s efforts in his appointed role as the director of the Department of Government Efficiency.
About 200 protesters showed up in South Salt Lake Saturday at a S. State St. Tesla dealership, including a number of pro-MAGA demonstrators. South Salt Lake police officers were also on hand, largely for traffic control. While the groups taunted each other, the gathering remained civil.
“This is protesting their destruction of America,” responded one demonstrator, holding a “What would Putin do?” sign, “starting with (Tesla CEO) Elon Musk, the billionaire and the communist taking over the country.”
Photo: Gephardt Daily / Samuel Price
About 100 protesters showed up at a Tesla service center in the Boston suburb of Watertown, Mass., and two were injured when struck by the side mirror on a passing pickup truck, the Boston Herald reported.
“Officers who already were on the scene quickly assisted the injured parties and identified the suspect,” Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan said in a news release that was posted on Facebook.
“Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported,” Hanrahan said. “Both victims refused medical treatment at the scene.”
He said police are investigating the matter and will not release additional information at this time.
Counter-protests amid global day of action
Further south in Paramus, N. J., Tesla protesters were outnumbered by pro-Musk counter-protesters.
About 60 showed up to protest against Tesla and Musk, but about 80 counter-protesters also showed up to support Musk and Tesla, according to local media.
Local police told media the Paramus protest has been peaceful and there has been no interaction between the Tesla Takedown protesters and the pro-Musk counter-protesters.
A much larger crowd showed up to protest in the Windy City.
A “few hundred” protesters gathered in downtown Chicago mostly to oppose Musk’s actions as the DOGE director, WLS-TV reported.
“Elon is not an elected person, and he has no authority to dismantle our government and programs that help us American people,”protester and Chicago resident Tina Smothers told WLS.
Vicky Weidenkeller, also of Chicago, wondered how Musk can be an influential member of the Trump cabinet.
“He’s not an elected official,” she told WLS. “What business does he have taking over our government?”
In the United Kingdom, protests were held in London, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow, The Standard reported.
The London protest began at 11 a.m. local time outside the Park Royal Tesla dealership in West London.
Protesters there accused Musk of trying to “destroy democracy” and “shred public services” and carried placards saying, “Don’t buy Nazi cars” and “Don’t fund fascists,” The Standard reported.
About 50 protests were scheduled in California, including in Santa Clara, where an out-of-state visitor told KTVU she knows people who will be affected by DOGE actions.
“We are in the biggest lie any of us have ever been in,” Cory Haynes told KTVU. “I have friends and family that are going to be impacted if any of these things that they are trying to do get enacted.”
Attorney general warns against ‘domestic terrorism’
The “global day of action” protests against Tesla and Musk come after many have been arrested and charged for vandalism, arson,firearms offenses and other serious crimes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 20 called such actions “domestic terrorism” and announced federal charges against three people.
One is accused of carrying a suppressed AR-15 rifle and throwing about eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership near Salem, Ore.
Another is accused to trying to set several Tesla vehicles on fire with Molotov cocktails in Loveland, Colo., and the third is accused of vandalism and setting Tesla charging stations on fire in Charleston, S.C.
