On Saturday, February 15, 2025, protests against Tesla and CEO Elon Musk, took place across Canada and the United States.
Demonstrations occurred outside Tesla showrooms and facilities in cities including Austin, Boston, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, and New York, as well as smaller locations such as Golden Valley, Minnesota, and San Luis Obispo, California. More than 36 events were reported nationwide.
Happening now: Protesters at the Tesla service center just outside of Minneapolis. Signs reading “Unplug Mad King Musk”, “This car runs on facsism”, “Who buys cars from a nazi?”, “Say no to doge”, “Don’t buy swasticars, BAD DOGE!”. pic.twitter.com/Z8Q8Y5g0wD
— daviss (@daviss) February 15, 2025
The U.S. protests focused on Musk’s role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force aimed at reducing federal spending. Some participants held signs with messages urging a boycott of Tesla products and calling for investors to divest from the company.
🔹Tesla protest in Langford draws sparse crowd🔹
A protest at Langford’s Tesla dealership today followed spray painting on the building of multiple slogans focused on police and the head of Tesla. The company made quick work of the graffiti and it was cleaned up by this… pic.twitter.com/ttv0FKzvIr
— VibrantVictoria.ca (@VibrantVictoria) February 16, 2025
In Canada, protests took place in Langford, British Columbia, with additional events planned in Alberta. The Langford location saw some vulgar messages spray painted along the side of the building in the early morning, but was cleaned up by the time protesters emerged, which looked to number at about seven people. Everyone has the right to protest, but defacing private property is not a peaceful protest, as that’s called vandalism.
Canadian demonstrators also responded to discussions about potential tariffs on Tesla vehicles, following tariff threats from the U.S. government. Club Tesla Quebec reported that 80% of its members wanted to distance the brand from Musk.
