Elon Musk targeted me over Tesla protests. That proves our movement is working
On Saturday morning, I woke up to a nightmare of notifications. On Sunday, it got worse. Elon Musk had tweeted and amplified inflammatory lies about me and Tesla Takedown, a growing national grassroots movement peacefully protesting at Tesla showrooms that I'm proudly a part of. Musk tweeted: 'Costa is committing crimes.'
As a longtime local activist and organizer in Seattle, I'm accustomed to some conflict with powerful forces. The intention of the Tesla Takedown movement is to make a strong public stand against the tech oligarchy behind the Trump administration's cruel and illegal actions, and to encourage Americans to sell their Teslas and dump the company's stock. Protests like these – peaceful, locally organized, and spreading across the world – are at the heart of free speech in a democracy and a cornerstone of US political traditions. So it's telling that the response from so-called 'free speech absolutist' Musk has been to single out individuals – and spread lies about us and our movement. The harassment that's followed his post has been frightening.
It's also proof that the Tesla Takedown campaign is working.
I'd like to address the lies spread about me by the world's richest man and X users. I have not committed any crimes. I have not been funded by ActBlue, or by George Soros – that name is simply a tired antisemitic dog whistle. I'm not inspired by Luigi Mangione nor have I ever said that I am. I am not encouraging any vandalism. Nobody is getting paid to come to these protests. I am not the leader of Tesla Takedown. In fact, no one is.
Here is the truth: Tesla Takedown is a completely decentralized movement with hundreds of protests taking place around the globe, drawing many thousands of people out of their homes and on to the public sidewalks to stand up for programs that support poor people, older people, veterans, the sick. Out of care and concern for others – a foreign concept to those currently in power – people are offering what they can to help. I've offered to schlep supplies, and helped someone find a bullhorn. The environmentally focused Seattle organization I'm a part of, Troublemakers, hosts a map where other people and groups can post the locations of forthcoming demonstrations. Troublemakers has about $3,500 in its bank accounts. All of this is a bare-bones, low-budget, people-powered movement – which is exactly why Musk is afraid of it, and casting about to find a villain.
There are currently 91 Tesla Takedown protests planned across the world this coming weekend, and there will be more the weekend after that. If there isn't one at the Tesla showroom nearest you, you can start one just by showing up with some friends or family, maybe making some cardboard signs. This exercise of our fundamental first amendment right to peaceably assemble is giving an effective outlet to the outrage this administration has caused here and around the globe, and we're making a difference. Tesla stock has fallen precipitously, losing a quarter of its value in the months since the protests began. On Wednesday, JP Morgan analysts told Quartz: 'We struggle to think of anything analogous in the history of the automotive industry, in which a brand has lost so much value so quickly.' Donald Trump even got on X this week to defensively claim that he'll be buying a Tesla to support his good friend Musk. More and more people are unloading the company's stock and selling their cars. The movement is growing and the administration is taking notice. When enough of us come together to do what we can, this is what effective opposition can be.
Musk's false accusations against me won't stop this movement, because he is inflicting real harm on the American public and people around the world. In fact, Musk and Trump are the ones committing crimes. Just this week they have announced their intentions to slash social security, Medicare, unemployment insurance and food stamps. They are gutting public institutions, stripping environmental protections, destabilizing the economy and people's lives. Musk is openly and gleefully firing federal workers en masse and dismantling programs that serve millions at home and across the globe. They've ignored multiple judicial orders, and refused to restart payments that they were ordered to. The unofficial agency Musk leads, the 'department of government efficiency', is digging into systems and pushing out public servants, when its own staff hasn't received so much as a background check. Musk's conflicts of interest are piling up without any disclosures. All of the programs this administration is destroying are paid for by people like you and me through our taxes. Tesla – a billion-dollar company – shelled out zero income tax last year. Justice through government processes will be slow, if it comes at all.
If we can't show our opposition to what the government is doing, we are living in a dictatorship. If we are criminalized for calling out the rich and powerful for their illegal actions, that is a dictatorship. I don't want to live in a dictatorship.
Make no mistake, it's scary to be personally called out by the richest man in the world on the platform he owns. It's scary to be targeted by a seemingly endless number of his devoted trolls and bots. To be doxxed, to have one's life pored over and exposed, to be smeared, attacked, and falsely accused. It's scarier still when the FBI director gets tagged into the threads and asked to investigate. But I'm not backing down – and even if I did, it wouldn't make a dent in this movement. Hundreds if not thousands of people have participated in the ways that I have.
The truth is, the people are powerful. I've always believed that. And now we know that Elon Musk does too.
Valerie Costa is the co-founder of Troublemakers and a longtime activist for environmental justice
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 minutes ago
- The Independent
Photos of police search for suspect who shot 2 state lawmakers, including one who died, in Minnesota
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Starmer launches national grooming gangs inquiry
Sir Keir Starmer has announced that he will commission a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal following months of demands from his political opponents. The Prime Minister said he would accept the recommendation made by Baroness Casey, who has been carrying out a 'national audit' into the grooming gangs. It is a significant change in position from Sir Keir, who for months has resisted taking the move, instead allowing five councils to set up their own investigations. The Tories and Reform, which has surged in support this year, have been calling for a nationwide inquiry. The Tories on Saturday demanded Sir Keir apologise for initially resisting the move. The inquiry will be 'statutory', meaning it will have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence. It is unclear when it will begin, what the remit will be or who will head it up. The scandal, which saw girls forced into sex by much older men, was first exposed in Rochdale in 2011 and has been investigated in a variety of different forms. It re-entered the spotlight earlier this year when Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, started repeatedly criticising Sir Keir and demanding a nationwide inquiry. The Prime Minister initially focussed on previous recommendations being implemented, allowing councils to launch local inquiries and having Baroness Casey review the situation. The Casey audit is due to be published next week. Media reports on Friday suggested it would explicitly link the problem with men of Pakistani origin and propose a nationwide inquiry. With details beginning to leak, Sir Keir took the decision to confirm, as he travelled to Canada to attend the G7 summit, that he would accept the recommendation. Sir Keir said: 'I have always said that we should implement the recommendations we have got because we have got many other recommendations. 'I think there are 200 when you take all of the reviews that have gone on at every level and we have got to get on with implementing them. I have never said we should not look again at any issue.' The Prime Minister added: 'That's why I asked Louise Casey, who I hugely respect, to do an audit. 'Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on. She has looked at the material and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.' Starmer 'had to be led by the nose' But political opponents jumped on the about-turn. The Tories had been planning to trigger another vote in the House of Commons and attempt to force an inquiry within three months. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said: 'Keir Starmer doesn't know what he thinks unless an official report has told him so. 'Just like he dismissed concerns about the winter fuel payment and then had to U-turn, just like he needed the Supreme Court to tell him what a woman is, he had to be led by the nose to make this correct decision here. 'I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January. It's about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologise for six wasted months. 'But this must not be the end of the matter. There are many, many more questions that need answering to ensure this inquiry is done properly and quickly. 'Many survivors of the grooming gangs will be relieved that this is finally happening, but they need a resolution soon, not in 10 years' time. Justice delayed is justice denied.' It is not just political opponents who have been calling for a nationwide inquiry. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester and former Labour MP, said there was an argument for one earlier in the year. Downing Street's initial response to the demands voiced in January was to point back to an inquiry into child sexual abuse conducted by Professor Alexis Jay in 2022. That inquiry was nationwide and included looking at grooming gangs. But critics said the grooming element was only a smaller part of that wider investigation. Ministers initially insisted the focus should be on implementing the recommendations of Prof Jay's inquiry. Prof Jay herself appeared to stress the importance of this approach. Baroness Casey, an experienced Whitehall troubleshooter, is yet to publish the results of her five-month audit, which went longer than expected, but details have begun to leak. The Times reported that Baroness Casey would formally recommend a nationwide inquiry and say that some victims were 'institutionally ignored for fear of racism'. The Sun said the audit would directly link illegal migration with the exploitation of British girls and reported concerns in the Home Office about the public reaction when the report is published. A Home Office spokesman declined to confirm or deny the details of the review, which is formally called the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation. In January, Mr Musk criticised both Sir Keir and Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister responsible for tackling violence against women and girls. His repeated interventions on the social media site X, demanding a national inquiry, forced the issue up the agenda in British politics and also created strains between Sir Keir's government and the incoming Trump administration. Asked when the inquiry would launch, Sir Keir said on Saturday: 'It will be statutory under the Inquiries Act. That will take a bit of time to sort out exactly how that works and we will set that out in an orderly way.'
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Photos capture South Africa's emotional WTC final victory over Australia at Lord's
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
