The organizers of “Tesla Takedown” have pledged the biggest day of today’s global action, encouraging thousands to protest Tesla showrooms, dealers, and even even charge Elon Musk’s role in reducing government spending.
As Tesla’s protests spread, so is the rebound. Activists holding the signs are confused with masked vandals throwing Molotov cocktails. On social media and in Washington, distinctions are fading quickly.
President Donald Trump called the attack on Tesla “domestic terrorism” and threatened to send “terrorist thugs” to prisons in El Salvador. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondy has pledged to indict “people who are operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.” And Musk’s decision to condemn at least one peaceful protester who “convicted a crime” in X promoted public discourse that equated protests and vandalism, and vandalism with terrorism.
If government or law enforcement begins to treat all anti-Tesla actions as criminals, peaceful protesters can find themselves faced with consequences for extremists.
“Terrorism is a problematic concept of law enforcement, because by definition it distinguishes itself from other violence from other violence,” Mike Germany, a former FBI special agent and fellow at the Brennan Centre’s Freedom and National Security Program, told TechCrunch. “That’s why counter-terrorism measures often have problematic consequences targeting the civil rights of people engaged in First Amendment protection activities, not those committing violent acts.”
Tesla Takedown protesters consistently preached nonviolence at the rally and at their website. The stated goal of the movement is not to physically harm Teslas or musk, but to encourage people to sell Teslas, sell inventory and stop buying new Teslas.
“The reason [Musk] “Because it’s because of his wealth,” said Natasha Perdham, a New Jersey organizer.
Musk is mostly the wealthiest person in the world due to his Tesla stocks. He owns about 13% of the company, and is valued at around $829 billion today, with Musk’s share worth around $107.8 billion. That wealth allowed Musk to spend $44 billion to buy Twitter, the leading platform he uses to communicate with his 219 million followers. Musk also immersed himself in his own money, donating more than $260 million to the US PAC, with Trump closing the election.
As someone who has focused on domestic terrorism for 16 years as a special agent for the FBI, German says he wouldn’t be surprised to see local police grooming along with the terrorism task force. According to Attorney General’s guidelines, the FBI does not need a de facto basis for suspected terrorism for alleged terrorism to begin physical surveillance, including taking photos of people, cars and license plates, deploying informants to infiltrate groups, and accessing private databases.
“It is also important to understand that US law enforcement is primarily intended to protect wealthy property,” German said. “American businesses are politically strong and have access to elected officials and top law enforcement officers. Especially when their interests are challenged by protest, they want to present it as a law enforcement issue, not as a public concern about business activities.”
The FBI declined to comment on TechCrunch’s questions this weekend about whether the agency is taking special actions.
“We’ll chase them.”
Musk and the Trump administration increased rhetoric with a lead through March 29, when at least 213 Tesla takedown protests are scheduled around the world, from Colorado and Kentucky to Germany, Minnesota, France and Texas.
On Thursday, Musk appeared in Fox News’ Special Report, saying that he and Trump “providing what offers money, what pushes lies and propaganda.”
Trump suggests that the attack on Tesla’s property was coordinated to threaten Musk, despite internal valuations deemed it the case. Musk also argues without proof that certain Tesla Takedown organizers were funded by Actblue, a nonprofit that funds progressive causes and Democratic candidates.
And Bondi denounced Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) last week after Musk said he needed to “beaten” in the virtual Tesla Takedown Rally. Crockett issued the statement calling for non-violence and peaceful demonstrations, but despite this, Bondi said it needed to be “stepping in very carefully.”
German says this rhetoric is also an old government trick to trust and suppress protests by claiming that “the acts of a small number of violence are the result of the spread of bad ideas, radical ideas.”
Purdum, one of the Tesla organizers, advised protesters to put their happiness first. If you feel unsafe, adhere to local protest regulations, do not trespass, follow police orders, and have an attorney’s number in your back pocket just in case, you’ll leave, she said.
“The authoritarian regime has a long history of equating peaceful protests with violence,” said Stephanie Frizzel, Tesla Takedown Organizer in Dallas. “The Tesla Takedown movement will always be non-violent. Their goal is to threaten silence as we stand up to masking the destructive actions of masks. But defending freedom of speech is fundamental to democracy. We are not deterred.”
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