Who is behind the anti-Elon Musk protests focusing on Tesla in London? | EUROtoday

On a sunny morning in west London, a gaggle of round 30 protesters had gathered outdoors a gleaming Tesla automotive dealership subsequent to a busy A-road.

They had been a part of a “Tesla Takedown UK” demonstration, one in every of three anti-Elon Musk marketing campaign teams which have sprung up throughout Britain in response to the billionaire’s repeated interventions in European politics.

The group, impressed by American counterpart Tesla Takedown, vowed to “tank Tesla’s stock” and referred to as for a boycott of Musk’s electrical automobile firm.

“People have to stop buying Tesla cars. We have reached an unbelievable point in US foreign policy and it is frightening,” stated Theodora Sutcliffe, 50, whereas clutching a provider bag of hand-drawn placards.

The protest was organised by 50-year-old software program engineer John Gorenfeld, who turned “excited” after seeing what anti-Musk protesters had been doing throughout the US on X competitor BlueSky.

“We originated on Bluesky. For a while, it felt like a lot of us were stunned into not protesting Trump’s administration after he became president.

“We were watching and waiting for someone to do something. I saw Tesla Takedown in the US and it was very exciting, so I did the same in London,” Mr Gorenfeld advised The Independent.

In the US, president Donald Trump has threatened to label Tesla Takedown as “domestic terrorists” following dozens of largely peaceable, however generally violent, demonstrations in opposition to the corporate.

Musk, in the meantime, has claimed – with out proof – that the protests had been being funded by his political enemies and Democrat donors George Soros and Reid Hoffman.

A 24-year-old former US National Parks worker, who refused to provide his identify, joined the London protest to point out solidarity with US protesters after he was fired alongside 30,000 others earlier this yr as a part of Musk’s purge of federal workers.

“I was visiting the UK and was looking for a way to protest against Elon Musk. There is a lot of that going on in the US and I felt a little left out,” he advised The Independent.

“I feel embarrassed as an American in the UK. With Musk wading into British and European politics, and how Trump is treating Zelensky, I want to show that the American people do not stand for this.”

Alongside weekly protests, Tesla Takedown UK additionally encourages British Tesla homeowners to promote their automobiles, and encourages EV drivers to boycott Tesla charging factors.

A number of weeks earlier, the “Everybody Hates Elon” group began a guerrilla commercial marketing campaign all through London with related targets.

“Tesla: The Swasticar”, a poster learn at a bus cease reverse Sadler’s Well Theatre in Clerkenwell. “Autopilot for your car. Autocrat for your country.”

The satirical swipe at multi-billionaire Musk was organised by People vs Profiteers, knowledgeable PR group run by advisor Jack Steadman, who has additionally run campaigns criticising the UK’s Rwanda scheme.

“We are holding Elon to account,” the group stated. “Not happy with fuelling the far-right in the USA, Elon Musk is now doing the same in Europe.”

Musk was accused of giving what seemed to be a Nazi “salute” throughout a Trump inauguration rally in January.

In response he stated on X, previously Twitter: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is so tired.”

He additionally took goal at Germany forward of federal elections in February, endorsing and selling the far-right AfD, which got here second within the polls.

Campaign group Overthrow Musk has additionally taken to erecting larger-scale billboard-style posters throughout different elements of the capital.

The group stated it was based to “fight the oligarchs” and “defend democracy”, with their political stunts cropping up in Tottenham, Walthamstow and St Albans.

In Walthamstow, a billboard confirmed a picture of Musk with the phrases: “Buying a Tesla? You may be in for a Nazi surprise”.

A mock movie commercial for “The Fast and Führer” displaying a “Doge” plated Telsa Model S subsequent to the caption “Heil Tesla” was additionally put up in Tottenham.

It had a faux PG warning studying: “Parental guidance. Tesla’s CEO is a far-right activist. Don’t give him your money.”

Dan, who designs posters for Overthrow Musk, and solely gave his first identify, advised The Independent: “Musk is an oligarch co-president. He is a very dangerous man and his support for far-right European parties shows this.

“But his weak spot is Tesla. His wealth is tied up in it. Reducing Tesla’s sales reduces his power. We are trying to make the link between Tesla and Musk more obvious.”

The UK solely accounts for 4.6 per cent of Tesla’s market share, in contrast with 42.5 per cent within the US and 10.4 per cent in China. Nearly 4,000 Tesla’s had been bought within the UK in February 2025.

Tesla’s market capitalisation dropped 45 per cent since hitting an all-time excessive of $1.5 trillion in December 2023, erasing most good points the inventory made after Musk financed Trump’s election marketing campaign.