Recently, there has been rising dissatisfaction with Elon Musk and Tesla in the United States. In Seattle, you may encounter various protests against this public figure and his brand. One of them was a large demonstration where numerous people gathered at a Tesla dealership in University Village. The protest is part of a larger movement called “Tesla Takedown,” in which people aim to boycott the brand and reduce Musk’s financial power.
One Redditor who happened to stumble upon the protest uploaded a short video on social media. In the video, you can see a large group of people chanting. Their shouts vary, but their main message is about stripping Musk of his political and financial power. You can also see many people holding signs. For instance, one man held a sign that read, “Boycott Tesla, Fire Musk,” and woman raised a sign that said, “Defund and Deport Elon Musk.”
The protest at Seattle’s University Village was fairly orderly. While there were many people shouting, there didn’t seem to be any violence occurring. However, things became more heated in other areas. For example, some protesters allegedly torched four Tesla cars in the SoDo neighborhood. Fortunately, no one was injured, as the Seattle Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire.
In short, Musk isn’t the most popular public figure in the U.S. right now. That fact is even more evident with many Redditors cheering on the protesters. Many people agreed that Musk had been harming Americans and disliked his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “Keep it up!” one Redditor commented.
One Redditor warned others against setting Teslas on fire, noting that the gases released by electric vehicles could be very harmful to firefighters. “Protocols are in place now to try and come off the truck with masks on, but if a bystander doesn’t mention it’s an EV, there’s still a risk that we treat it as a normal car fire and only mask up once we’ve had a chance to see what we are up against,” the user said.
Another Redditor mentioned that it wasn’t just Americans boycotting Elon Musk—many Europeans also disapprove of his Nazi gestures and other political actions. “According to recent data, Tesla vehicle registrations in the European Union and other European countries dropped by about 45% between January 2024 and 2025. In Germany, sales plummeted by nearly 70% through February 2025. France saw a 63% drop in sales, while Spain experienced a 75% decrease,” the user explained.
