(NewsNation) — Attacks on property carrying the logo of Elon Musk’s electric-car company are cropping up across the United States and overseas amid the billionaire’s work with the Trump administration.
In cities such as Washington, D.C., and Milford, Connecticut, demonstrators have filled the streets outside Tesla showrooms, holding signs protesting Musk and President Donald Trump.
In others, Tesla vehicles have been set on fire, charging stations have been vandalized and people have been arrested for shouting obscenities at customers or throwing paint at dealerships.
Demonstrations have spread from New York to California, prompting warnings from the FBI and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Protester: Elon Musk slashes, trashes democracy
Activists have staged so-called “Tesla Takedown” protests worldwide to voice their displeasure over Musk’s role with the Department of Government Efficiency in cutting the federal workforce and canceling contracts related to humanitarian programs since Trump took office.
The Tesla Takedown website encourages protesters to “sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines.”
Organizers have said their ultimate goal is to bankrupt Musk.
“I see already what’s happening with funding being cut, and it’s breaking my heart,” one protester said. “I’m hearing disgust with an administration that relies on Elon Musk to slash and trash our democracy.”
The movement has announced plans for a global day of action Saturday, calling for worldwide protests. It’s set to target 500 Tesla locations nationwide.
Organizers stress it’s a peaceful movement that opposes violence, vandalism and destruction of property. According to the Action Network, sponsors include two groups, Troublemakers and Disruption Project.
FBI asks for help reporting Tesla attacks
The FBI has issued a nationwide warning regarding attacks on Tesla dealerships and charging stations, with incidents occurring in at least nine states since January.
Agents have requested the public’s assistance in identifying and reporting the most violent attacks.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett: Elon Musk needs to be ‘taken down’
Bondi on Sunday warned Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, to “tread very carefully” after Crockett called for Musk to be “taken down” during a virtual protest.
“She is an elected public official, so she needs to tread very carefully because nothing will happen to Elon Musk, and we’re going to fight to protect all of the Tesla owners throughout this country,” Bondi said during an appearance on Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Many protests have been peaceful, and Crockett clarified that her calls for action were nonviolent.
“This isn’t about partisanship. I keep trying to tell people that we are living in the time of good versus evil, right versus wrong. And right now, when we are looking at the black letter of the law and they are deciding to ignore it, then they are wrong,” Crockett told MSNBC’s Weekends with Alex Witt.
Bondi doubled down on her effort to wrangle protesters, saying the Department of Justice would not let up on charging perpetrators.
NewsNation’s Alex Caprariello contributed to this report.