Anti-Elon Musk attitude is gaining speed across the UK and Europe, expressing in a flood of biting sarcasm and rebel engagement. In London, controversial advertisements have appeared on bus stops and posters, mocking Musk’s relationships to far-right beliefs.
One of the advertisements went popular for showing Musk rising from a Tesla while giving a straight-arm welcome, with the phrase:” Travels from 0 to 1939 in 3 hours. Tesla-the Swasticar”.
Another poster read:” Now With White Power Steering”, depicting Musk and Donald Trump beside a reddish Tesla.
A group calling itself ‘ Everyone Hates Elon ‘ has taken role for several of these sarcastic installations. One poster resembles a movie offer titled’ The Strong and the Führer’, warning audiences:” Parental Guidance. Tesla’s CEO is a far-right campaigner. Don’t offer him your income”.
Such features mirror the fury that has recently resulted in theft of Tesla vehicles in the US, but in Europe, sarcasm and public craft have taken center stage. Activist parties across Germany, Italy and the UK are leading the charge. Outdoor Berlin, the Center for Political Beauty projected the phrase” Heil” on a Tesla stock, creating the word” Heil Tesla” next to an image of Musk saluting. In Italy, city craft shows Musk peeling off his face to show Hitler’s behind, with the phrases” Elon Mask”.
” There’s always been a goal exactly like this”, said John Gorenfeld, a software expert and co-founder of London-based opposition party Operation Tesla. ” Nobody who is that rich and powerful has behaved that wildly. There’s something hokey and crazy about Musk’s company of toxicity. And it opens up a real place to contempt”.
Musk, who has over 218 million followers on X ( formerly Twitter ), has drawn criticism for sharing misinformation and backing far-right voices in British politics. He has called for the incarceration of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and demanded the transfer of far-right advocate Tommy Robinson.
Activist groups say their goal is to harm Tesla’s model and investment as a form of rally against the banker’s politicians. ” The level of this is to present Musk and other entrepreneurs that they are resilient and doesn’t work with impunity”, said Ben Stewart, co-founder of Led by Donkeys, which collaborated with the Berlin opposition. ” We have to saddle global public view to drive back”.
Tesla’s stock has fallen nearly 50 % since its December peak, coinciding with Musk’s increased political activity and his role slashing government budgets. Tesla also reported a 13 % decline in revenue last year compared to the same period last month.
” What they’re trying to do is put huge pressure on me, and Tesla I guess, to you know, I don’t know, cease doing this”, Musk said at a campaign event in Wisconsin. ” Long word, I think Tesla currency’s going to do good, so maybe it’s a purchasing opportunity”.
The protests have included saluting bubble statues of Musk, bumper stickers reading” Pre-2020 Model”, and humorous flyers placed on Tesla wipers warning individuals:” Driving a Tesla… means you’re propping up Elon Musk, a person who promotes weather deniers and fossil-fuel junkie”.
In Germany, Center for Political Beauty director Philipp Ruch said anger towards Musk stems from his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party. ” The first day that the administration comes in, he does the Hitler salute”, Ruch said. ” This is something we couldn’t tolerate, politically and artistically”.
Ruch’s group specialises in “overwriting” public imagery with satirical projections. One such light installation on a Tesla dealership has reportedly prompted a police investigation. Images of the event went viral online.
Meanwhile, prank products like” Musk-B-Gone” air fresheners and life-sized Musk cutouts thanking Tesla users at charging stations continue to pop up across Europe.
” There are some people who are coming at Musk as though he’s some sort of passive agent of Trump”, Sutcliffe said. ” There’s other people who perceive Musk as somebody who’s a unique type of threat that we really haven’t seen before in terms of his economic control and control of the information space”.
‘ Hands Off!’ protests erupt across the US and beyond
The satire campaign is unfolding against the backdrop of a larger, coordinated protest movement against the Trump administration and Musk’s role within it. On Saturday, more than 1, 200″ Hands Off”! rallies were held across all 50 US states. Civil rights activists, labour unions, LGBTQ+ organisations, and other groups took to the streets to protest sweeping federal cutbacks and controversial social reforms.
Demonstrators criticised the closure of Social Security offices, healthcare cuts, and the rollback of LGBTQ+ protections. Elon Musk, who now heads the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency ( Doge ), has been at the centre of the controversy for overseeing deep cuts to federal agencies. While Musk insists these changes save taxpayer money, protesters argue essential services are being dismantled.
” They’ve woken up a sleeping giant, and they haven’t seen nothing yet”, activist Graylan Hagler said in Washington, DC. In New York, marchers held signs saying” Hands Off Our Democracy”, while in Boston, crowds rallied around protecting education and healthcare. Demonstrations also spread to cities like London and Berlin, reflecting concerns about the global implications of the Trump-Musk agenda.
Despite growing public opposition, the White House dismissed the protests, accusing Democrats of trying to extend benefits to undocumented immigrants at the expense of American seniors. But for protesters like Roger Broom, a former Reagan Republican in Ohio, the situation is dire:” He’s tearing this country apart … It’s just an administration of grievances”.
( With inputs from NYT )
