Boycott Movement against Elon Musk Goes Global

Jaxon Carey

Staff Writer

In photos straight from an apocalypse film, Reuters captures three destroyed Tesla vehicles following a fire at a Tesla dealership in Rome, Italy. In Berlin, Germany, protesters spray painted a Tesla dealership in protest of Elon Musk. Protesters in Texas, California, and New York are captured holding signs in protest. 

“THIS MACHINE KILLS DEMOCRACIES,” “DON’T BUY A SWASTICAR,” and “HEIL TESLA” have appeared in protests all over the world. “Elon Musk is attacking the European Union” appears outside a Tesla store in Paris, France. In cities around the world, people are boycotting Tesla and protesting Elon Musk. 

NPR reports that anti-Musk protesters, objecting to Elon Musk’s close relation to the Trump administration, drove a Global Day of Action as part of a “Tesla Takedown” campaign. People have been encouraged to sell their stocks, sell their Tesla cars, and attend protests around the world. 

Business Insider finds that a combination of Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration and the actions of Doge have stoked protests and resistance worldwide. StopElon.eu, a European based sites encouraging action against Musk, quotes “Elon Musk is using X to target the European Union, increasing anti-EU feelings and supporting far-right parties. His messages are prioritized, reaching millions of views and making it one of the most powerful propaganda tools in history. It’s a threat to the European Union existence.” Action Network, one of the official sites for organizing the #TeslaTakedown movement, describes that “We’re tanking Tesla’s stock price to stop Musk.”

StopElon.eu has published  tweets from Musk that they point to as evidence of targeted propaganda. With tweets calling the European Union parliament undemocratic, calling a judge from Romania a dictator, and more, Musk’s actions have stoked anti-Tesla and anti-Musk sentiment across the EU.

The Associated Press notes that while competition from rival companies have contributed to a record 13 percent decrease in sales in just three months, backlash from Musk’s association with the Trump administration is also a driving factor for the decline in demand. Trading View states that the “anti-Elon Musk crowd” seems to be affecting consumer choices, with Tesla stock dropping 33.3 percent year-to-date.

How has Musk responded to the global protests and boycotts against him? The BBC finds that Musk responded to the protests with a video on X of a customer in Texas marveling at self-driving mode. Musk wrote “Heartfelt thanks to everyone supporting Tesla, despite many attacks against our stores and offices” on X. 

NPR has reported that X has also expanded an already existing lawsuit into Lego, Nestle, and more brands for an “advertising boycott.” Companies who are supposedly part of the advertising boycott are being sued for not choosing to host ads on the platform, with a direct quote from the lawsuit, “collective action among competing advertisers to dictate brand safety standards to be applied by social media platforms shortcuts the competitive process and allows the collective views of a group of advertisers with market power to override the interests of consumer.” 

Musk, in a post on X, said “Wow, they’re totally insane. Death threats, shooting up Tesla stores and burning down Superchargers are definitely not ‘legitimate forms of protest!’”  In a different post, Musk says “Has there ever been such a level or coordinated violence against a peaceful company? I understand not wanting to buy a product, but this is extreme arson and destruction!”

Overall, Musk seems poised to continue his actions and to stand by Tesla. Forbes quotes Musk as saying “Tesla stock does up and it goes down, but actually it’s still the same company, I guess it’s just very emotional.” Despite this public confidence, a recent article by Politico states that Trump has told his inner circle that Musk will leave soon. Three Trump insiders granted anonymity stated that in coming weeks, Musk will be stepping back from his current role to a more supporting role. 

The article goes further, stating that Musk’s alleged looming exit comes as Trump administration insiders and outside allies have become frustrated with Musk’s unpredictability. Musk has increasingly become viewed as a political liability, which in part has been made evident from the global protests against him. 

Whether the boycotts are affecting him, it’s clear that the movement shows no signs of slowing down. Protesters around the world are united by standing in opposition of Musk and his actions. Even if Musk stands down from  the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as leaks speculate, people around the world will continue to boycott Tesla and Musk.

Image courtesy of Getty Images.