Anti-Elon Musk demonstrations took place in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Tilburg on Saturday, targeting the Tesla car empire.

The gatherings were part of the grassroots Tesla Takedown movement, which started in the United States this winter to draw attention to Elon Musk’s impact on geopolitics and involvement in controversial federal agency Doge.

European protests organised by Tesla Takedown UK began earlier this month and have now spread to multiple locations across the continent.

“One of the fascinating things about working on this project is learning how many countries he is interfering in, from Australia to Spain,” Tesla Takedowner Theodora Sutcliffe told Dutch News.  “In Germany, Tesla is a huge polluter and he’s supporting the far-right AfD. He’s interfering in UK politics by supporting far-right figures like Tommy Robinson. Need I begin when it comes to the Ukraine?”

Saturday afternoon’s gatherings were the first Tesla Takedown demonstrations to take place in the Netherlands. Organisers in Tilburg dubbed theirs Fietsen naar Tesla [Cycling to Tesla]. Attendees rode their bikes to one of the company’s delivery centres and the event drew between 80 and 100 protesters.

The Amsterdam one was staged at Tesla’s European Headquarters near the Ziggo Dome as part of a ‘Global Day of Action’ that the organisers hope will lead to demonstrations at every Tesla showroom in the United States later in the day.

“I believe people all over the world are worried about Elon because of his support for and dissemination of radical right wing ideologies, his dismantling and deregulation of a major internet communications channel like Twitter, and increasing the spread of disinformation around the world,” activist Feef Anthony told Dutch News.

Some 20 demonstrators were at the Amsterdam protest. “I’m really unhappy with everything that’s going on and it’s directly effected my work,” an attendee from Amsterdam who asked to remain anonymous said.

“My job involves humanitarian causes and what Musk is doing to cut funding is a direct attack on not just us, but science and research too. So it’s not just a personal matter, I care about what he’s doing to all of these people.”

During the demonstration, a woman driving a white Tesla sedan apologised to the protesters while stopped at traffic light and expressed her support. Other motorists honked their horns, took pictures, and waved.

“I voted against Trump and I never voted for Musk,” said K, a protester from America currently living in Amsterdam. “I’m very concerned about my friends back home. A lot of them are gay and trans, and some of my friends work in education. People I know are really impacted by all of this. That’s why I came here, to speak out against Elon and Tesla.”

Stock price

The controversies surrounding Musk have taken a bite out of Tesla’s profits and sales numbers in recent weeks. The company’s stock has dropped in value by roughly 45% since peaking at $479.86 in December.

Meanwhile, the number of Teslas sold across Europe fell substantially in February. In total, 12,000 vehicles were sold, roughly half the amount that left showrooms in February 2024. The number of registered Teslas has declined in recent months. Sales in the Netherlands have also dipped.

In November, Tesla’s Amsterdam headquarters was targeted by a British campaign group that produced a 10 minute film criticizing Musk’s involvement with the second Trump administration. A showroom in The Hague was covered in graffiti in early February.

Dutch News contacted both Tesla’s European and American press offices for comment about the protests in the Netherlands but did not received a response.