Ring the corner of a car on a three-lane A40 in west London is nothing new. But on Saturday, they weren’t aiming for other drivers for change. Instead, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been a target of rage as part of the “Takedown Tesla” movement that spread from the US.
“It’s too overwhelming to do nothing,” said Louise Cobbett-Witten, who has a family in the United States. “There’s real comfort to being gathered like this. Everyone has to do something. They’re standing on the side of the street, yelling out signs and screams, and they don’t have a big strategy.”
The protest was part of a global day of protest planned under the umbrella of the Tesla Takedown movement. Organizers say the rally will be held in front of more than 200 Tesla locations around the world, including nearly 50 in California. Mask has not commented on the demo.
Cobbett-Witten has a family in Washington, DC, and plans to return to the United States. A 39-year-old NHS worker living in south London said, “Checks and balances have just failed. As much as people are trying to say these words, they are fascists, they are white supremacists, they are xenophobics, they are xenophobics, they are misogynists, they are coming for everyone.
During the last two weeks, Tesla responded to the protest outside the showroom, saying the protesters were friendly and peaceful. Dozens of people appeared on Saturday, the largest turnout since it began a few weeks ago.
Tesla sales are declining in Europe, but in February it rose to above fifth place in the UK, according to new car registration figures from the Auto Manufacturers and Traders Association.
Gay rights campaigner Nigel Warner MBE was handing out stickers for Tesla drivers coming and going to the Park Royal site. “This is the only thing you can do to make a difference,” said the 77-year-old retired accountant in London. “We are pretty powerless here, just like in Europe. The only thing we can do is affect Tesla stock prices and sales. That’s what’s already happening in many places where Tesla sales are declining.
Jim Green, 56, a documentary film maker who lived in New York and Los Angeles before returning to the UK 18 months ago, worked with Musk 10 years ago.
Green said: “He was another person and he was very charismatic. He had a very convincing argument about the importance of batteries when I was talking about the battery being built with him.
He said he attacked the typical Tesla buyer, whom Musk described as a wealthy liberal who cares about the environment. “The mask got in the way to shamble that exact group of human beings. I lived in LA when a wealthy and liberal person swapped a Tesla for a Toyota Prius in 2014-2015.”
Anne Kajava, 59, a retired native from Minnesota but lives in Cambridgeshire, said she is worried about changes in US policies regarding Europe and Ukraine.
She said: “I’m really worried about World War III. I’m worried about civil wars within the US. I can say that those are extreme views, but Trump is talking about war.
Holding the banner attached to Donald Trump’s toilet brush, she said: “I wasn’t shy about saying I’m American. In fact, I can work with my acting coach to fake British accents and turn them on and off when I want to. I don’t want to be identified as American.”
