As Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to slash the American government, promote far-right political parties, and amplify racist messaging, a local group is taking action.
Vancouver Against Fascism (VAF) is organizing a protest for Saturday, March 15, at the Kitsilano Tesla dealership to call out Musk's role in the rising tide of fascism worldwide.
The protest will take place from noon until 2 p.m. at the intersection of West 4th Avenue and Fir Street.
"Our group is opposed to the rise in fascist ideology and this protest is being organized in direct response to Elon Musk's increasing interference in democratic processes and his active support of authoritarian political movements," reads a statement from the organization.
Why protest at a car dealership?
Musk, who won a court battle to be called the founder of Tesla even though two other people founded the company, recently became strongly associated with fascism as he became more involved in politics and U.S. President Donald Trump's reelection campaign.
After Trump took office, Musk, currently the world's richest man, was given significant power in the new administration despite never being elected.
"He is fundamentally unqualified for this role, lacking both electoral legitimacy and democratic accountability," states VAF.
Aside from his activities in Trump's administration, Musk is also active on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Musk abuses his ownership of the social media platform X to manipulate public discourse. He consistently promotes misinformation and amplifies extremist ideologies, notably lending support to far-right European parties," states VAF.
They note his activities go beyond the U.S.'s borders, given his reach on X.
When it comes to Canada, a country where Musk holds citizenship, he has become unpopular. A petition asking the federal government to revoke Musk's citizenship has almost 370,000 signatures and Tesla sales have slumped.
"Musk is also complicit in the economic coercion of Canada, notably aligning himself with recent aggressive moves by Trump’s administration," states VAF, noting Musk is working closely with Trump, who has suggested he's trying to annex Canada through a trade war.
At the same time, Musk has not shown Canada much respect.
"Canada is not a real country," posted Musk on X earlier this year. He later deleted the tweet.
VAF is hoping the protest targeting Tesla will help motivate Canadians to take action against a broader issue.
"We hope this protest serves as a critical wake-up call for Canadians. Canada is not immune to the rising tide of authoritarianism and corporate interference currently sweeping global politics," states the group.
VAF notes there are strategies and rhetoric in Canada that mirror what's happened in the USA, citing Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre's Trump-like "divisive tactics," conspiracy theories "such as the 'Great Reset,'" and movements like the Freedom Convoy.
"We are determined to alert Canadians about this "red wave" threatening our democratic institutions and our core values—democracy and freedom, diversity and open-mindedness, justice and equality, and curiosity and innovation," states the organization.
