'Tesla Takedown': U.S. grassroots campaign spreads to UK

The wave of protests against Elon Musk and Tesla has spread to the UK.

On Saturday, demonstrators gathered at Tesla dealerships in London and Manchester as part of a campaign known as the "Tesla Takedown."

One of the organizers, Theodora Sutcliffe, told CGTN Europe that they want to stop Elon Musk using his vast wealth and social media influence to support the agenda of Donald Trump and far-right figures in the UK. 

"I think he had very effective PR which portrayed him like a Tony Stark super-genius, who founded Tesla – even though he didn't found it he just bought it," she said. "I think at some point he started believing in his own PR, which I think was a mistake."

Musk has courted controversy with arm gestures which mimic the Nazi salute. 

"My grandfather died in the Second World War fighting fascism and he was South African," one protester told CGTN Europe. "Now Elon Musk, who's originally South African, is giving out Nazi salutes."

While Tesla cars have been applauded by some for helping to lead the pivot towards electric vehicles, others doubt Musk's green credentials. 

"I think Elon was never about saving the environment," one protester told CGTN. "Elon was always about self-enrichment and what works for him."

Hitting Musk where it hurts

On that note, Tesla Takedown says the best way to protest against Musk is to hit him where it hurts: in his wallet, or more accurately the Tesla share price - which has halved since the turn of the year.

Musk's decision to endorse presidential candidate Donald Trump looked to have literally paid dividends, with Tesla's share price shooting up to $479 per share in December in the wake of Trump's re-election to the White House.  

However, since then it seems his relationship with Trump – or perhaps his aggressive cost-cutting activities as part of a drive towards government efficiency – has angered people who've traditionally bought his cars. Last Monday, Tesla shares closed at $240. 

While public anger may have affected the share price, the market has also noticed that sales are down in many key markets in Europe. Local sales data reported by Electrek show falls of over 40 percent in several European markets, with Germany down 70 percent – although the UK bucked that trend in February with a 20 percent year-on-year rise. 

Demonstrators are hoping protests will sway opinion against Tesla, and say they are planning many more in the weeks to come.