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Molotovs to ‘Nazi car’: Tesla faces protests and attacks as Elon Musk's DOGE cuts federal workforce
At least 10 acts of vandalism have been against Tesla vehicles, dealerships or charging stations since the Trump administration took power in January.
Elon Musk's Tesla has come under fire from waves of protests and vandalism since its CEO has taken up a role in the US federal government under President Donald Trump.
The Tesla protests have seen everything in recent weeks, from Molotov cocktails to ‘Nazi car’ graffiti, as Musk goes about his task of slashing the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
At least 10 acts of vandalism have been against Tesla vehicles, dealerships or charging stations since the Trump administration took power in January, according to police and local reports.
In one of the incidents, a 40-year-old woman named Lucy Grace Nelson threw a Molotov cocktail at a Cybertruck parked at a dealership in Loveland, Colorado on January 29, CBS News reported. After the initial attack, she returned to the dealership four more times. Nelson attempted to set the dealership ablaze and spray-painted the word "nazi cars" on the building before ultimately being arrested last week. Her protest is seen as connected to the accusations of supporting antisemitic claims and insulting victims of Nazism against Musk.
In Boston, Massachusetts, the police revealed on Monday that more than a half-dozen Tesla charging stations were intentionally set on fire.
A gunman opened fire on a Tesla dealership in Tigard, Oregon, firing at least seven shots on Thursday morning. Three cars and some windows were damaged, according to the police report. Another man was caught on video vandalising some Tesla cars in Maryland, prompting Elon Musk to react.
In all the reported incidents, no one sustained any injuries. Apart from the vandalism, several Tesla dealerships across the US have seen protesters gather.
Elon Musk and his chainsaw on the federal workforce
Since taking over as the head of the newly-created DOGE, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been involved in slashing the government workforce. Several probationary federal workers have been laid off by various departments, with the Trump administration even being sued for it by a coalition of 20 states.
Musk also sent emails to all the federal workers, asking them to justify their job in reply. He even said that a failure to respond would be taken as resignation.
While Musk’s DOGE faces several lawsuits for its work, some people seem to have taken the law in their own hands to try and make a point.
