VANCOUVER, B.C. (AP) — Tesla has been ruled out from participating in safety concerns over this week’s Vancouver International Auto Show, the event’s executive director said Tuesday.
Eric Nicole said in a statement that the show asked the electric car manufacturer to withdraw due to “main concern” about the safety of workers, attendees and exhibitors.
Nicole said Tesla was offered “multiple opportunities for voluntary withdrawal.”
“This decision will allow all participants to focus solely on enjoying many positive elements of the event,” the statement said.
The show at the Vancouver Convention Centre begins on Wednesday and ends on Sunday.
The removal of the automaker comes after a weekend of so-called “Tesla Takedown” protests, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Ottawa and Vancouver, who denounced his role.
About 20 protesters gathered outside a Tesla dealer in Surrey, British Columbia the day after a similar protest in Vancouver, holding signs containing messages such as “Upple your elbow,” “Elonbee,” and “Democracy has passed away.”
Pat McCutcheon, who attended the Surrey protest, said in an interview Tuesday that the auto show organizers did the right thing by removing Tesla.
“Given the temperature of the situation, unfortunately there are people who are very troubled by the situation at Tesla and the situation at Elon Musk,” McCutcheon said.
He said he had heard nothing about the protest at the car show, but said there was “a fair amount of emotion” surrounding Tesla.
“The last thing you want is that one of your organizations is vandalism and physical conflict, so I think they made the right decision,” he said.
McCutcheon said he was organizing a protest outside Langley, Tesla, British Columbia this weekend.
“Elon Musk uses his extraordinary wealth to essentially corrupt democracy and do what he wants to do, and citizens of America all over Canada and around the world need to push this back,” McCutcheon said.
Last week, British Columbia Hydro banned Tesla products from its electric vehicle rebate program as part of a provincial government’s move to prefer Canadian goods and remove them from rebates when practical during the Canadian trade war.
