Tesla 'going bankrupt' is endpoint of protests, says local organizer
The protest group behind demonstrations at Tesla dealerships around Metro Vancouver is planning more events in the coming weeks.
Jen Gagnon is one of the local organizers of the Tesla Takedown protests, which is a global movement encouraging people to peacefully protest against the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, at showrooms and dealerships around the world.
Musk has been under fire for his affiliation with U.S. President Donald Trump, who implemented significant tariffs on Canadian products and has made repeated threats to annex the country.
Gagnon told Daily Hive that the local protests kicked off last week, and she took an interest in organizing after seeing posts about the movement on Bluesky.
She managed to connect with other locals who were organizing protests in the region and decided that she was going to take action by putting one on in her city.
“I decided if I’m going to do this and if I want to do it weekly, I wanted it to be somewhere close to me so I chose Surrey,” she explained.
Gagnon, along with other Tesla Takedown protesters gathered at the Metro Vancouver dealerships holding signs and and expressing their stance against the company and its CEO.
A poster at last week’s protest referring to the Nazi-era paramilitary in critique of what some say was a fascist salute Musk made at Trump’s inauguration. (Jen Gagnon/Supplied)
She explained that she was motivated to get involved because she is a dual Canadian-U.S. citizen and Trump’s second presidency has “felt like watching [her] childhood home burn down.”
“And making it pertinent to here is that… frankly, fascism and far right-wing sentiments are coming up here and the time to stop it is now,” she said.
She added that while she started trying to take a stand by buying Canadian products only, being involved in the protests has also given her a new sense of motivation.
“I’ll be honest since I started doing this not quite two weeks ago, I am feeling so much better. It feels good to be doing something and connecting with people who feel the same way I do in actual, real life,” stated Gagnon.
Actions taken against Tesla in B.C.
teera.noisakran/Shutterstock
While the movement is still in its early days, there have been other actions taken against Tesla here in B.C.
The provincial government recently announced that Tesla products are no longer eligible for CleanBC and BC Hydro rebates and earlier this week, the Vancouver International Auto Show said it would not feature Tesla at its annual event due to safety concerns.
Police have also gotten involved as tensions against Tesla and Musk continue to rise.
On Friday, Vancouver Police said they arrested a man after the Tesla dealership in Kitsilano was vandalized overnight.
They also confirmed eight acts of mischief in the city which are believed to be politically motivated and in opposition to Musk’s ties to the current U.S. administration. VPD noted that these files are open and are actively being investigated.
Tesla Takedown describes itself as a “peaceful protest movement” that opposes “violence, vandalism and destruction of property,” and while Gagnon said she doesn’t have control over what individuals choose to do, she feels violence hurts the movement overall.
“I don’t want people to do [this],” she said. “On the other hand, [it shows how] pissed off people are.”
As for Gagnon’s personal stance on Tesla owners, she said, for the most part, she’s giving most of them the “benefit of the doubt.”
“We want a healthy environment… and maybe [some owners] are locked into a lease that they can’t afford to break,” she explained, adding that some folks might not be in the financial position to sell their vehicles right now.
She added that at last week’s protests, there were a few Telsa drivers who rolled down their windows and expressed their solidarity with the demonstrators.
Gagnon said that the larger aim of the movement is to send a message to Musk.
“There is an endpoint [for these protests]; it’s Tesla going bankrupt,” she stated.
The Tesla Takedown Metro Vancouver group is planning for another protest at the Surrey showroom on March 23 and at the Kitsilano location on March 29, which is the movement’s Global Day of Action.
Another Vancouver demonstration is planned for March 30 at the future Tesla flagship in Strathcona, which will be the company’s largest purpose-built service facility in North America.
Are you a Metro Vancouver Tesla driver who has taken action against the company? Get in touch at vancouver@dailyhive.com and we might reach out further for an upcoming story.