Protest against Elon Musk held outside of Tesla dealership in Kitchener

Aastha Shetty · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 22, 2025 5:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

From Montreal to Toronto, Tesla protests person been cropping up crossed the state — with 1 of the astir caller ones taking spot extracurricular the Tesla dealership successful Kitchener.

Some drivers honked their horns successful enactment portion driving by the protestation connected Saturday. Others booed and cussed astatine the protesters arsenic they drove by.

For those similar Kitchener's Cate Davis, boycotting Tesla is simply a amusement of Canadian pride.

"I'm present origin I'm pissed," she said. "It's clip to basal up and amusement the state what we are and what we're about... due to the fact that this is implicit insanity and I'm not going to basal for it and neither should anyone else."

Clay Eccles, who drove from Cambridge to instrumentality portion successful the protest, is hoping to nonstop a wide connection to Elon Musk.

"He's not a bully person... I'd similar to spot him spell retired of business," Eccles said. "Canadians person been provoked and we're not going to enactment up with this."

The protestation successful Kitchener is conscionable 1 of many that person been happening crossed Canada and the United States.

Most of the protests successful Canada have been peaceful, but for a fistful wherever demonstrators person vandalised Tesla property.

Protesters say Musk, the company's CEO, has been closely associated with U.S. President Donald Trump. Sentiment against the American president has turned sour successful overmuch of Canada since Trump started imposing tariffs connected Canadians goods. Trump has said his desired result of the commercialized war is for Canada to go the 51st state.

Since then, thousands of Canadians signed a petition to person Musk's citizenship revoked for his attempts to "attack Canadian sovereignty."

Trump, Musk respond to protests

Trump has equated the acts of vandalism astatine Tesla dealerships successful the United States to home terrorism.

Dan Horner, an subordinate prof successful the section of criminology astatine Toronto Metropolitan University, is an adept successful analyzing protests and governmental violence. He says Trump's beardown connection against the demonstrators is connected par with the messaging his medication has enactment retired over the past mates of months.

"This ramping up of hostile connection toward their enemies and benignant of zeroing successful connected radical who they see as absorption to them with precise beardown connection and promises of very severe ineligible repercussions... What we're seeing being unleashed connected the planetary standard is decidedly a profoundly polarized marque of politics," helium said.

During an all-hands gathering connected Thursday night, Elon Musk told Tesla employees they should support their stock, which has sharply dropped successful worth this year.

He also addressed the caller instances of vandalism astatine Tesla dealerships.

"If you work the news, it feels similar Armageddon. I can't locomotion past the TV without seeing a Tesla connected fire," Musk said during the meeting, as employees laughed with him.

"Listen, I recognize if you don't privation to bargain our product, but you don't person to pain it down. That's astir unreasonable. Like, this is psycho. Stop being psycho."

Some Tesla owners trying to region themselves from Musk

Some Tesla owners who were erstwhile arrogant to ain the electrical vehicle are reportedly now embarrassed to beryllium associated with the brand, arsenic nationalist furor against the institution and its CEO gain momentum.

Tesla owners who aren't fans of the company's proprietor are either scooping up anti-Musk bumper stickers or boycotting the brand by getting escaped of their vehicles altogether.

"Five years ago, I considered Elon Musk an idol and admired his concern ventures with Tesla and SpaceX successful particular," said Paul Turnbull, of Ottawa.

"I was a arrogant purchaser of a Tesla Model Y soon aft they became disposable for bid successful Canada successful 2021. I inactive ain and bask the car today, but it is nary longer a root of pridefulness arsenic it erstwhile was fixed the existent antagonistic stigma against Elon."

Musk has lost several cardinal dollars of his idiosyncratic wealth this twelvemonth arsenic shares successful Tesla and income of its electrical vehicles plunge.

Trump has said that Musk and Tesla are being treated unfairly, and Musk told Fox News on Tuesday that "Tesla is simply a peaceful company. We've ne'er done thing harmful. I've ne'er done thing harmful. I've lone done productive things."

Given U.S.-Canada relations, person you sold oregon tried to merchantability your Tesla? We privation to perceive from you. Send an email to [email protected].