Latest news with #LedByDonkeys
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Led By Donkeys in conversation with Zoe Williams
Led By Donkeys was founded in early 2019 when four friends, Ben Stewart, James Sadri, Oliver Knowles and Will Rose – motivated by the chaos Britain had been pitched into – started going out at night to paste guerrilla billboards of the leading Brexiters' historic tweets. Soon after, the group was reaching millions of people with every intervention and have continued their work mixing art and activism to create some of the most memorable images of our political age. Projecting public sentiment on to the palace of Westminster, lowering a remote-controlled banner featuring a lettuce and the words 'I crashed the economy.' behind Liz Truss, and laying out 11,000 children's outfits along Bournemouth beach to represent the children killed in Gaza: these are just three of the group's numerous artistic acts of resistance against the ineptitudes and corruption committed by those in power. What keeps the group going? And has their campaigning changed anything. Join them on Tuesday 30 September with Guardian columnist Zoe Willliams, for what promises to be an unforgettable evening. They'll be live in London and online, as they reveal the true stories behind the activism that has shaken and stirred UK politics since 2019. And as we face a new political landscape, this is also your opportunity to ask them your own questions on what we can expect next from them. You can join this event in-person at Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London, E17 4QH, or via the livestream. Tickets start from £39 to attend the event in person, or £15 to watch the livestream. All event ticket sales go towards supporting the Guardian's open, crucial journalism. Book tickets – in person or livestream Date: Tuesday 30 September 2025Time: 7.30pm-9.30pm (BST), this includes a 30 minute interval Or see this time zone converter to check your local live streaming Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London, E17 4QH, or join via the livestreamAccessibility: Soho Theatre Walthamstow is wheelchair accessible. For detailed access information for the venue, please see their website here. If you have any access requirements you are eligible for 1 x free companion ticket, however access tickets must be booked via the venue directly here. If you miss this live event, a recording will be sent to you. It will be available for two weeks so you can catch-up or revisit the event in your own time. What are the terms and conditions? By proceeding, you agree to the Guardian Live events Terms and Conditions. To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy. How do I access a livestream event? This event will be hosted on a third-party live streaming platform Vimeo, please refer to their privacy policy and terms and conditions before purchasing a ticket to the event. After registering, please refer to your confirmation email for access to the event. Will there be closed captions available? Yes closed captions will be available for this event. Guardian Live brings you closer to the big stories, award-winning journalists, and leading thinkers in livestreamed and interactive events that you can access from wherever you are in the world. To stay informed, sign up to our newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram.
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Led By Donkeys wanted to confiscate Michelle Mone's yacht but settled for renaming it. It was still a coup
At the Charleston literary festival earlier this month, two members of Led By Donkeys – Ben Stewart and Oliver Knowles – were describing their first big act of 2023, which was to rename Michelle Mone's yacht, Lady M, the 'Pandemic Profiteer'. It's a thrilling yarn, featuring a tiny boat rented under the false pretences of a picnic on the Catalan coast, a bunch of guys who didn't really know how hard it would be to fix a giant sticker to a luxury yacht, and a chase scene at the end, as they raced back to their van, pursued by security guards. But the original idea had been to requisition the boat and sail it all the way back to the UK, up the Thames, and deliver it to His Majesty's Treasury. There was an intake of breath in the book-loving audience, because this was the best idea anyone had ever heard. It had everything – audacity, symmetry, justice, spectacle, the lot. Despite the Guardian's reporting, Mone, of course, wouldn't admit until the end of 2023 that she profited from the government's Covid VIP lane at all. In fact, £28.8m of the profit made by PPE Medpro, much of it on equipment that was never used, was held in a trust of which Mone and her children are beneficiaries. In the ickily self-justifying phrase of her husband, Doug Barrowman, they were 'always going to benefit … her family benefit, my family benefit. That's what you do when you are in a privileged position of making money.' The fates have arguably caught up with Mone since then. As detailed in the BBC's Rise and Fall documentary, which airs tonight, she is on leave from the House of Lords, having been stripped of the Conservative whip, and has had £75m worth of assets frozen, pending investigation by the National Crime Agency. (Mone has denied any wrongdoing.) While these measures are obviously the crunchy bit of comeuppance, and will loom much larger on Mone and Barrowman's minds than a sticker on their yacht ever could, the art-activist event is way more important for us. I don't especially care whether Mone has the Tory whip or not, or whether she sits in the House of Lords. If the state finds against her and claws back some money, fine, but it will most likely only spend it on something dismaying, such as a defence budget. 'Pandemic Profiteer', on the other hand, felt like a collective: 'This is not OK.' It is not OK to make millions out of a national emergency. It's fashionable now to say that Mone was a symptom of the late Tory malaise, not the cause. Led By Donkeys proved that it's possible, if you concentrate hard enough, to think two things at once – both that governments should be competent, and that people, even businesspeople, should be decent. The Led By Donkeys installations are always laced with sadness, sometimes unbearable amounts. Its action for Gaza in 2024, when 11,000 children's outfits were laid along Bournemouth beach – to 'communicate the scale of the killing', James Sadri said at the time – was breathtakingly painful, and has only become more striking with every day since. Yet these acts of resistance don't arrange themselves in an orderly way, so that dodgy PPE pales into insignificance beside a war crime, and Liz Truss's brief disaster as prime minister looks minor next to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Rather, they all create some social protection against despair. Whether it's a misdeed or a tragedy, the fight only starts when you look directly at it. At the end of their talk, Knowles and Stewart got a standing ovation, a timeless and sometimes rote expression of approval, though I've never seen it happen at a spoken word event before. It didn't really feel like the end of a ballet, though; it felt more literal, like everyone, spontaneously, standing up for something. Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Watch a 98-Year-Old World War II Vet Absolutely Demolish a Tesla With a Tank
A 98-year-old World War II veteran, who served in the British Army, absolutely destroyed a Tesla vehicle with the license plate "FASCIM" in a recently shared YouTube video. As first spotted by Gizmodo, veteran Ken Turner used a Sherman tank, one of the most widely used tanks used by the US and its western allies against the Nazis in World War II, to turn a navy blue Tesla into a pancake. The video was uploaded by the British anti-Brexit and anti-conservative political group Led by Donkeys to send a clear message. "Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars," the group wrote in the video's caption. "We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again." The symbolic stunt highlights Musk's embrace of extremist and racist views. The mercurial CEO has used his considerable platform to further unhinged conspiracy theories and spread hurtful anti-immigrant rhetoric. And who could forget president Donald Trump's post-inauguration celebration, during which Musk performed not just one but two Nazi salutes? He has appeared at a rally for the Alternative for Germany party — a growing, far-right nationalist contingency boasting ties to neo-Nazism — and attended meetings with Italian right-wing populist political party Lega. As a result, anti-Musk sentiment has soared, giving life to an international protest movement, dubbed "Tesla Takedown." It's a terrifying new predicament, with experts warning of the rise of technofeudalism, ruled by a tiny number of "broligarchs," like Musk. To some, it's an eerie deja vu of some of the darkest chapters in recent human history. "I'm old enough to have seen fascism the first time around, now it's coming back," said veteran Turner in the latest video — before crushing the Tesla in a tank. More on Elon Musk: As Sales Continue to Plummet, Tesla Is Considering a Massive Payday for Elon Musk
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
World War 2 veteran runs over Tesla in anti-Musk protest
In a dramatic stunt aimed at Elon Musk's growing political footprint in Europe, a 98-year-old World War II veteran drove a Sherman tank over a Tesla Model 3, flattening the vehicle to protest Musk's endorsement of far-right parties. The video, released by British activist group Led By Donkeys, has gone viral — and sparked fresh debate about the tech billionaire's influence on European democracy. Ken Turner, a decorated veteran, is seen in the video confronting Musk's political alliances, especially his support for parties like Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Standing in front of the camera before climbing into the vintage tank, Turner delivers a defiant message: "We've crushed fascism before, and we'll crush it again." TANK vs TESLA "We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again" - WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank — Led By Donkeys (@ 2025-05-07T16:46:21.866Z The Tesla, emblazoned with a license plate reading 'FASCISM,' was destroyed in a muddy British field, a symbolic takedown of what Turner and the protest group see as the billionaire's backing of authoritarian ideologies. 'Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe,' Turner states in the video. 'And his money comes from Tesla cars.' The protest comes amid sharp criticism of Musk's increasingly active role in global politics. Since joining President Donald Trump's administration in a senior advisory capacity earlier this year, Musk has aligned himself with anti-establishment movements in Germany and the UK. The backlash has already impacted Tesla's business, with European sales plummeting in Q1 2025. This isn't the group's first jab at Musk. In 2024, they collaborated with German collective Centre for Political Beauty to project a massive image of Musk mimicking a Nazi salute onto Tesla's Berlin factory with the phrase "Heil Tesla". Musk, under increasing scrutiny, has reportedly considered stepping back from his role in the Trump administration to focus on his companies, though he has not publicly confirmed the move. As criticism mounts and public stunts like this one gain traction, the battle over Musk's image — and his cars — appears far from over.
The National
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- The National
WWII veteran crushes Tesla with tank in Elon Musk protest
Ken Burns, 98, served in the British Army during the conflict and was videoed by activist group Led By Donkeys crushing the electric vehicle in a German tank from the war. In the video posted to Twitter/X, Burns said: 'I'm old enough to have seen facism the first time around — now it's coming back. "Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars. "Well, I've got this message for Mr Musk: we've crushed facism before, and we'll crush it again.' TANK vs TESLA "We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again" - WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank — Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) May 7, 2025 Burns is captured running the war vehicle over the Tesla, a blue model which featured a registration plate spelling out the word facism. Led By Donkeys, the organisation behind the video, is a self-described 'accountability project' first set up in response to the Brexit referendum. Read more: Are Scottish universities at risk from Trump's DEI attack? The group have remained active, calling the current Labour Government 'fair game' in their satire campaign against the 'thermonuclear hypocrisy' of pro-Brexit politicians and international figures like President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. The video was posted as Britain celebrates the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the end of WWII and the Nazi regime in mainland Europe. Read more: Nigel Farage's copying of Elon Musk is a calculated propaganda move Musk has faced backlash for his interference in US politics and platforming of extremists on Twitter/X, with Nigel Farage looking to replicate Musk's Department of Government Efficiency across the English councils Reform took control of last week. Tesla was approached for comment.
