Tesla protests planned across Metro Vancouver as police investigate rise in vandalism
VPD deploying extra officers this weekend; organizers say movement is peaceful
Vancouver police say they're deploying more than 130 additional officers this weekend ahead of planned anti-Tesla protests and amid an ongoing spike in politically motivated vandalism targeting the electric carmaker.
On Saturday, protesters are expected to demonstrate outside Tesla dealerships around the world, including at four locations in Metro Vancouver.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says it's buffing up its police presence to ensure the protests remain lawful. Since Jan. 20, it's received 28 vandalism reports connected to Tesla, including spray-painted slurs, smashed windshields and rocks thrown at private vehicles — up from zero such reports in all of 2024.
"While everyone is entitled to express themselves lawfully and peacefully, nobody has the right to use violence, damage property, or intimidate others," Const. Tania Visintin said in a statement Friday.
4 'Tesla Takedown' protests planned in Metro Vancouver
The Metro Vancouver rallies planned for Saturday — two outside dealerships in Vancouver's Fairview and East Vancouver neighbourhoods, and two more in Surrey — are just a handful of hundreds planned around the world.
Organizers have dubbed the event Tesla Takedown's Global Day of Action, the latest in a series of demonstrations that began shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated, and say rallies will take place in front of more than 200 Tesla locations worldwide.
In Metro Vancouver, the protests are being organized by Vancouver's Pat McCutcheon, who says the movement is about defending democracy and pushing back against Tesla CEO Elon Musk's political influence.
"We need people, we need Canadians, we need Americans to stand up and support democracy," McCutcheon told CBC News. "And it starts by taking down the oligarchs that have got their hands on the levers in Washington, D.C., right now."
Musk, a key figure in Trump's re-election campaign, was appointed to oversee the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been slashing government spending and programs.
Last month, thousands of Canadians signed a petition calling for Musk's Canadian citizenship to be revoked. Musk later responded on X with the now-deleted post: "Canada is not a real country."
McCutcheon says protestors are hoping to make a dent in Tesla's stock value while standing up for Canadian sovereignty.
"A way to try to rein Musk in is to collapse the sales of Tesla product. This, in turn, will result in Musk's wealth also collapsing," he said. "We hope that leads to him pulling back from some of the threats that he's imposing on democracy right now."
The organizer says the movement is gaining traction and producing results.
The Tesla CEO has lost several billion dollars of his personal wealth this year as shares in Tesla and sales of its electric vehicles plunge.
The Vancouver International Auto Show also removed the U.S. electric carmaker from its event citing safety concerns, and its products have been excluded from B.C.'s electric vehicle rebate programs amid the trade war with the U.S.
Earlier this month, Musk told Fox News that, "Tesla is a peaceful company. We've never done anything harmful. I've never done anything harmful. I've only done productive things."
Protests are peaceful, organizer says
Despite the rise in vandalism, McCutcheon insists the protests are peaceful and that those responsible for damaging Tesla cars and facilities are not part of the movement.
"The individuals that are doing the attacking, they've got their own motivation," he said. "I have no idea what it is, but we're not a part of it at all."
He says he welcomes police presence at the demonstration sites, stating that it would ensure the safety of everyone involved.
"We occasionally receive some threats at the protests from individuals that disagree with our position."
Protesters are expected to gather at the dealerships holding banners and Canadian flags — a scene similar to a demonstration held last week in Surrey.
Surrey Police Service confirmed that demonstration was peaceful. It said it expects this weekend's protests to be the same, and that it hasn't deployed additional officers for that reason.
Vancouver police say more than a dozen demonstrations and special events are expected to draw large crowds throughout the city over the weekend.
"Damaging private property is not the answer," said Visintin. "Anyone who breaks the law will face arrest and charges."
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