Skip to content

Protesters target Musk in rallies outside showrooms

Sarah Turnnidge
BBC News, Bristol
Alice Bouverie
BBC Points West
BBC A group of people protest on the side of the road outside the Tesla showroom. Many of them hold signs, one of which says 'honk if you hate Elon'. Another says 'Tesla supports fascism', and many of them urge people to boycott the company. BBC
Protests are being held at Tesla dealerships around the world on Saturday

Protesters have gathered outside Tesla showrooms to make a stand against the company's billionaire owner, Elon Musk.

A group assembled opposite the car giant's premises in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, on Saturday to oppose Mr Musk's recent prominence in US politics.

Holding signs urging people to boycott the company, the 'Tesla Takedown' protest is part of a global day of action mirroring demonstrations held in the US.

The BBC has approach Tesla for comment.

Karl is shown outside the Tesla showroom, which is a large cream-coloured warehouse. He wears a cap, square glasses and a brown and cream checked shirt.
Karl Scholz urged people to avoid Tesla in a bid to force billionaires to 'think twice' about their actions

Protester Karl Scholz said he had been "losing sleep" over recent events in US politics.

"If we can just put one or two people off buying a Tesla today to help spread the message and get his stock to go down further and further, hopefully that will give Elon and other billionaires like him the pause to think twice about what they're doing," he added.

Critics of President Donald Trump's second government have become increasingly vocal about their unease with Mr Musk's growing influence over US politics, with the billionaire given the role of creating a cost-cutting taskforce in the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).

The department has so far fired or offered buyouts to about 100,000 federal employees, and has access to sensitive personal data relating to millions of Americans.

Many of the posters held up at the Bristol rally urged people to avoid buying from the company.

Tesla sales in Europe have fallen sharply in 2025. Across the continent, they were down 45% in January compared to the same month in 2024, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).

Meghan smiles at the camera in front of a number of signs. She has her hair in a long plait and has sunglasses on top of her head. Other protestors are seen smiling behind her.
The protest was organised in Bristol by the group Americans for Action

One of the protest's organisers, Meghan Watson, said she and other Americans living in Bristol had decided to act as the group Americans for Action to "raise awareness" of what was happening in their home nation.

While Cribbs Causeway might feel a long way from the White House, she explained that taking part in a global day of action emphasised the "massive support" she'd seen for their cause, with people "really concerned" by Mr Musk's actions.

"If we can protest people buying Teslas and supporting Tesla's stock and things that affect his funds then we can actually really make a change in the damage he's doing," she said.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More on this story