Protests against Musk: Hundreds demonstrate in front of Tesla stores!

Protests against Musk: Hundreds demonstrate in front of Tesla stores!

A wave of protests against mass layoffs led by entrepreneur Elon Musk has begun in the USA. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Tesla stores in cities like New York, Jacksonville and Tucson on Saturday. The situation was particularly violent in New York, where police arrested nine people while protesters blocked traffic and drew attention to their discontent with demands such as "Burn a Tesla: Save Democracy" and "No dictators in the USA." The protests are sparked by the actions of Musk, who, as head of a new Agency for Government Efficiency (DOGE), ordered major cuts to the federal service on behalf of President Donald Trump, which has led to a massive wave of severance payments since Trump took the oath of office on January 20th. Nearly 100,000 of the 2.3 million federal workers in the United States have since lost their jobs or been forced to accept severance pay Time reports.

Nationwide “Tesla Takedown” movement

The organizers of the protests, which have the motto “Tesla Takedown”, have also called for people to move away from Tesla shares and are clearly positioning themselves against Musk and his measures. The protest website says: “We are taking action at Tesla, Musk’s flagship company.” Prominent supporters such as actor Alex Winter have highlighted the importance of a split between Musk and Tesla, saying it would represent a deep cut in the government's power structure. The Austrian News report that the US presidential office has not yet commented on the protests, while the mood among the demonstrators makes it clear that public dissatisfaction with Musk's influence over the government is increasing.