Activists Ramp Up Violence Against Tesla

_WHAT’S HAPPENING_

Tesla dealerships and facilities across the United States are facing an alarming surge in targeted attacks as anti-Tesla protests — called “Tesla Takedown” — grow more violent. The attacks are to protest Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, and his role in the Trump administration. The protests and violent acts have particularly been concentrated at Tesla showrooms and charging stations in cities in Colorado, Massachusetts, and Oregon, where protestors have set fires and damaged vehicles, causing significant financial losses.

President Donald Trump has weighed in on the matter, condemning the violence and vowing that those committing violence against the carmaker would "go through hell.”

_THE FACTS_

• Multiple Tesla dealerships recently were targeted with Molotov cocktails, such as the incident in Oregon and Colorado. In Colorado, a transgender-identifying suspect spray-painted “Nazi cars” on the vehicles and was arrested with firebombs.

• A website called Dogequest published the personal information of Tesla owners nationwide, using a Molotov cocktail cursor and offering to remove data only if owners prove they sold their vehicles.

• A man in South Carolina burned down three EV charging stations with Molotov cocktails and wrote “f**k Trump” and “long live the Ukraine.” The suspect accidentally set himself on fire and sustained minor injuries while tossing one of the devices.

• In New Orleans, Tesla Cybertrucks were ambushed during the “Orpheus” parade, where bystanders threw objects like road barriers and beads at the vehicles, causing thousands of dollars in damage. One man even punched the glass, shattering it, while police present did nothing to intervene.

• A shooting took place at a Tesla dealership in Oregon, where multiple shots were fired at the building, damaging several vehicles.

• Elon Musk claimed that “an investigation has found 5 ActBlue-funded groups responsible for Tesla ‘protests’: Troublemakers, Disruption Project, Rise & Resist, Indivisible Project and Democratic Socialists of America.”

• One of the movement’s organizers, Valerie Costa, denied accusations that it was funded by ActBlue — a fundraising site for progressive Democrats.

• However, one man admitted on video to being paid to protest outside a Tesla dealership.

• President Trump has strongly defended Tesla, not only promising to bring “hell” to the vandals and violent criminals, but also blaming "radical left lunatics” for trying to "illegally and collusively boycott" the company.

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