Climate change vandals spray-painted a Tesla car dealership in Manhattan on Tuesday to protest Elon Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but as police arrived, the activists could be seen cleaning off some of the vulgar writing.
The showroom is the latest Tesla location to be targeted by anti-Musk and anti-DOGE protesters since the billionaire CEO of the company began leading the cost-cutting agency. The incident also coincides with Earth Day, an annual event aimed at protecting the environment.
Video shows two maskless men scrawling “F—k DOGE” and “We do not consent” on the store’s windows with fluorescent red and green spray paint.
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Several DOGE signs were also coated onto several windows with red lines crossing through each of them – similar to a “no” or “prohibited” symbol. The showroom is located in Manhattan’s Meat Packing District, between Washington Street and W 13th Street, and people could be seen inside at the time.
The group appeared to belong to the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion, which has been known to overtake public spaces, cause disruptions and deface public buildings. The group claims to use non-violent civil disobedience to protest against political inaction over what they believe is man-made climate change.
The two climate vandals were arrested when police arrived on the scene. The younger man was wearing a pink t-shirt with the words “Climate Change = Mass Murder” inscribed on the back of his top.
Asked why he was being arrested, the man said: “Because people do not consent to unelected fascists and this is Earth Day.”
The group’s New York City chapter boasted about the defacing of the building on X.
Extinction Rebellion also took credit for spray-painting Wall Street’s iconic Raging Bull on Tuesday.
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Dozens of reported attacks on Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations have taken place this year.
The incidents range from minor vandalism, such as keying or graffiti, to more extreme cases like arson and drive-by shootings allegedly targeting Tesla vehicles. Several federal lawsuits pertaining to these Tesla attacks have been filed.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi has said the Department of Justice is treating such incidents as “domestic terrorism.”
Some of the more serious attacks on Tesla in the U.S. include a March 18 incident in Las Vegas when police said 36-year-old Paul Hyon Kim used a Molotov cocktail to torch several Teslas at a local dealership.
Four Tesla Cybertrucks were set on fire in a Seattle Tesla lot last month, while two Tesla Cybertrucks caught fire at a local dealership in Kansas City.
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