Anti-Elon Musk demonstrations have erupted across America with protesters attacking Tesla showrooms with guns and Molotov cocktails.
Dozens of fired-up crowds assembled outside Tesla stores across the country on Saturday afternoon in protest of Musk’s efforts to slash government spending and enact reforms. Protests also erupted in London, Portugal, Malaysia and Iceland.
Roughly 250 demonstrators were gathered outside a showroom in New York City, holding anti-Musk placards the read ‘Block Facism Now and ‘Musk Must Go’ as they shouted ‘Elon Musk is not elected! Democracy must be protected!’
Five protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct at the Manhattan demonstration and one was taken into custody for resisting arrest, obstruction and violation of local law, The New York Daily News reports.
There have also been more than a dozen acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to police and local reports.
A Tesla showroom in Salem, Oregon was shot up with an AR 15-style rifle in February. Suspected vandal Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, is also accused of causing major damage at the same store with Molotov cocktails in January.
Similarly, four Tesla cybertrucks were set ablaze overnight at a storage lot in Seattle’s industrial SoDo neighborhood, KING-TV reported.
Officials say at least two vehicles were severely damaged in the fire. Seattle police are investigating if the blaze was an act of arson.
Firefighters were called to parking lot around at the intersection of 4th Ave S & S Spokane Street on Sunday around 11pm local time.
Upon arrival, crews found four Tesla vehicles – which we parked along a fence – completely engulfed in flames.
Firefighters quickly moved the vehicles away from the fence in a bid to stop the blaze from spreading elsewhere.
They also took precautions to limit fire hazards caused by the cybertrucks’ damaged lithium batteries.
Police say it is currently too early in the investigation to determine if the blaze was intentionally set.
The potential act of arson comes just days after suspected vandal Lansky was arrested in neighboring Oregon for attempting to destroy a Tesla dealership.
He allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at the showroom on January 20, striking the dealership building and several vehicles and causing fires, Department of Justice court filings state.
Lansky then returned to the site on February 19 to fired multiple rounds into the building and at least one vehicle, federal prosecutors allege.
He was arrested last Tuesday and been charged with illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
Police in Oregon are also working with the FBI to investigate gunshots fired at a Tesla dealership in Tigard, outside Portland, last week.
Investigators believe at least seven shots were fired at around 1.46am Thursday, damaging three cars and shattering windows. One bullet went through an office wall and into a computer monitor. No one was injured in the shooting.
While the motivation for the attack has not been confirmed, Tigard police said they ‘are aware that other Tesla dealerships have been targeted across Oregon and the nation for political reasons’.
This photo released by the Tigard Police Department, shows shattered windows of a Tesla dealership on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Tigard, Oregon
Investigators believe at least seven shots were fired at the Tigard dealership, damaging three cars and shattering windows. One bullet went through an office wall and into a computer monitor. No one was injured in the shooting
The shooting comes a week after federal prosecutors in Denver charged a woman in connection with vandalism against a Tesla dealership in Colorado – including Molotov cocktails being thrown at vehicles and the words ‘Nazi cars’ spray-painted on the building.
Also last week, seven Tesla charging stations that were ‘intentionally set’ on fire in Massachusetts, according to the Littleton Police Department. No injuries were reported.
Graffiti reading ‘No Musk’ and depicting a sign that resembled a swastika was also found at a Tesla dealership, one day after protesters gathered at the facility.
Protests against Musk and Tesla have ramped up since the billionaire and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began firing thousands of federal workers, including veterans, as it pushes to downsize the government.