Demonstrators assembled outside a Tesla dealership in London to advocate for a boycott of the electric car manufacturer owned by Elon Musk.
Event organizers are urging Tesla owners to sell their vehicles and for individuals to divest from the company’s stock.
The electric vehicle giant has already experienced a decline in shares since the beginning of the year, facing mounting pressure from competitors in China, alongside calls for a boycott due to Mr. Musk’s close affiliations with former US President Donald Trump and far-right movements.
A small contingent of protesters at the Tesla location in Park Royal, west London, held signs that read “Honk if you dislike Tesla” and “Enough fascist nonsense”.
On Wednesday, two activists from Just Stop Oil were apprehended after splattering orange powdered paint on a robot inside a Tesla showroom in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Catherine Rennie Nash, a 74-year-old retired teacher, and 63-year-old former tax adviser Nigel Fleming climbed onto a podium display in the retail space.
The duo then drenched the robot in paint and unfurled a Just Stop Oil banner, stating that their actions were a protest against Mr. Musk and billionaires who are “jeopardizing climate science” and threatening democracy.
Tesla has faced protests and vandalism incidents in the United States in recent weeks.
Authorities in Oregon reported they are collaborating with the FBI to investigate gunfire directed at a Tesla dealership.
This incident followed a week after federal prosecutors in Denver charged a woman for vandalism at a Tesla dealership in Colorado, which included throwing Molotov cocktails at vehicles and spray-painting the phrase “Nazi cars” on the building.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump engage with the media beside a Tesla
In a demonstration of support for Mr. Musk’s company, former President Donald Trump explored a new Tesla at the White House driveway on Tuesday, opting for a shiny red sedan.
“Wow,” Mr. Trump exclaimed while seated in the driver’s seat of a Model S. “That’s beautiful.”
Mr. Musk continues to oversee Tesla, as well as the social media platform X and the aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, while also serving as an advisor to Mr. Trump.
