In a stern warning to those involved in recent vandalism, violence and death threats to Tesla showrooms and cars, Elon Musk has said: ‘We are coming for those who organized the violence & death threats against Tesla. Remember that statement.” Both incidents have been tied to Musk’s political leanings toward President Donald Trump, who came under fire from wide swaths of the public for comments regarding the white nationalist rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
Musk also told Bloomberg that he’s sick of the destruction of Tesla property and especially cars being burned and vowed that those financing and organizing the actions will be punished. “I’ve never committed any violence against anybody, but I am massively violent against my businesses and I get a lot of personal threats and threats to my life,” he said. It’s an evil thing that to do. Damage some innocent person’s car or very-well, so what. Ajacomat tried to kill me… “Nobody’s been hurt,” he said. Musk added that several people will go to jail.
VENICE, Calif. — Tesla car sites were vandalized — from graffiti on showrooms to the burning of charging stations — as the protests have been especially fierce in March. Asked about these actions, Musk said, ‘Of course you can object to political things, but it’s not OK to resort to violence …death threats.’ That obviously isn’t ‘okay’.”
These protests were, Musk also alleged, funded by George Soros and Reid Hoffman, among other organization such as Media Matters. These groups, he said, were ‘feeding propaganda’ to the public, inciting violence against Tesla.
Asked whether he now regrets getting into politics, Musk paused and replied, ‘I did what needed to be done.
It’s the most recent illustration of the challenges to Tesla’s prospects as the company confronts a political storm and growing public backlash. Musk’s comments come at a time when the company is wrestling with the challenging times and his message is clear: Tesla and its assets won’t be intimidated by politically motivated threats.
