VPD says Saturday’s Tesla protests peaceful; more planned for Sunday
Posted March 29, 2025 11:37 am.
Last Updated March 31, 2025 11:12 am.
Hundreds of protests at Tesla showrooms around the world started Saturday and continue into Sunday in many places.
In Vancouver, Saturday’s protests at a rally in Kitsilano were peaceful, the VPD says.
“There were several dozen protesters [Saturday] outside the Tesla dealership on West 4th,” said Sgt. Steve Addison.
“They were peaceful and lawful in expressing themselves, which we commend them for.”
Four protests were scheduled in the Lower Mainland over the weekend: two on Saturday — one in Kitsilano and another in Surrey — and two on Sunday — in Vancouver’s Strathcona Park and on the Langley Bypass.
In response, Vancouver police have said they’ll be deploying more than 130 extra officers to maintain order at protests.
The department said officers are investigating 28 anti-Tesla incidents since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 including “hateful words and symbols spray-painted on buildings, eggs thrown at cars, and windshields smashed” at dealerships and charging stations.
Earlier this month, organizers of the Vancouver International Auto Show banned Tesla over concerns for the safety of workers, attendees and exhibitors.
The event, dubbed the Tesla Takedown’s Global Day of Action, is the latest demonstration by those who object to the role Tesla CEO Elon Musk has played in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Demonstrators say they want people to sell their Tesla vehicles and dump any stock in the company.
Musk heads the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency and has been tied to controversies that include publicly voicing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party and laying off thousands of federal workers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2025
The Canadian Press
— With files from 1130 NewsRadio staff
