Crowds Turn Out Across the U.S. for ‘Tesla Takedown’ Protests

Hundreds of Tesla dealerships across the United States, Canada, and Europe saw protesters descend upon their lots on Saturday as part of a global day of action organized by the Tesla Takedown protest movement. Demonstrators turned out in significant numbers in large cities, including New York City and Chicago, with many holding signs featuring anti-Elon Musk and anti-Trump administration messaging.

Accounts from across the country continue to pour in, but despite the presence of counter-protesters in some locations, the demonstrations seem to have largely gone without incidents of violence or arrests.

An account from the Boston Herald says that two people were injured at a Tesla Takedown demonstration in the Boston suburb of Watertown when a black pickup truck allegedly clipped the protesters with the vehicle’s side mirror. More than 100 protesters were reportedly on the scene during the incident, and both people hit by the vehicle refused medical treatment and did not suffer serious injuries. Police in Columbus, Ohio were also seen escorting two anti-Tesla demonstrators in dinosaur costumes from a Tesla dealership during a Tesla Takedown event.

NOW: Columbus Ohio police escorts two Anti-Tesla dinosaurs as Takedown Tesla Protesters gather outside Tesla Showroom in Columbus Ohio. A counter protest gathering across pic.twitter.com/OOcp5XiQxa

— ScooterCasterNY (@ScooterCaste) March 29, 2025

In Florida, Attorney General James Uthmeier ordered law enforcement to monitor the events and respond with a zero-tolerance policy for crimes against property, but local reporting indicated that dozens of protests occurred across the state without incident.

Local reports suggest that at least 150 people turned out to a Tesla Takedown event in the outskirts of Chicago, more than 300 people showed up to a protest outside of Syracuse, New York, more than 600 in a suburb of Baltimore. Similar numbers were reported in St. Louis, Missouri, Buffalo, New York, Salt Lake City, Utah, and other cities. Social media posts show large demonstrations in Seattle and Ann Arbor, Michigan, while some counter-protesters were documented in Meridian, Idaho and Paramus, New Jersey—though the pro-Musk demonstrations appear to have been significantly smaller than the Tesla Takedown events.

Protesters are gathered at the Tesla Takedown protest in Chicago.

“Hey hey, ho ho, Elon Musk has got to go!”

Love to see it!

🍿 pic.twitter.com/Lk3A8IHiI0

— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) March 29, 2025

The line is long and getting longer!

Former and current Tesla workers, as well as Buffalo residents who know ALL about Elon Musk’s failed policies and broken promises are here to stand up and fight back.

Hey, hey, ho, ho Elon and corporate greed has got to go! #TeslaTakedown pic.twitter.com/YRWwQNOqrh

— Our City Action Buffalo (@ourcityaction) March 29, 2025

While most of the protests took place in the United States, there were international demonstrations as part of the day of action. NBC News reported protesters turned out at Tesla dealerships in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Berlin, Germany. London also saw a large turnout of Tesla Takedown demonstrators.

Protesters showed up for the Tesla Takedown protest event in London, England today.

🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/R2UVoIuYVj

— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) March 29, 2025

The organizers of the Tesla Takedown protests have chosen Tesla as their target as a means to inflict damage onto CEO Elon Musk’s bottom line, a response to his involvement in the Trump administration, including his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has led to dramatic reductions in the federal workforce. A common theme among the signage was kicking Musk out of the government (or the country) and demanding an end to the slashing of government services and social safety nets.

About 300 protesters showed up to a protest in San Diego, where there’s a retail storefront at the mall near the University of California, San Diego. Despite being so close to a college campus, the protest crowd skewed older, a common theme at demonstrations over the past two months.

An 83-year-old retired geologist named Dorrie told Gizmodo she had two sisters protesting as well, one in Boston and one in Orange County, California, both concerned about what Elon Musk was doing to the country. “He’s putting seniors on the street. Turning senior citizens into homeless people,” she told Gizmodo.

“I don’t know how we’re gonna get out of it, either,” Dorrie continued. “Have you heard any creative ways of how, you know, you screw up the system for four years and then you change it? Everybody gets their jobs back, you know?”