1. Germany
Several Tesla vehicles were set on fire in Germany on Friday, as protests against Elon Musk’s car company continue across the world.
German police said that four vehicles were set ablaze in the Plänterwald and Steglitz neighborhoods of Berlin, and that political motives could not be ruled out.
Newsweek reports: Tesla sites have been targeted by protesters around the world following Musk’s appointment as head of the Department of Government Efficiency in President Donald Trump’s administration.
The electric car company has also faced a waning stock price in recent weeks, with many attributing the decline to Musk’s close association with Trump.
The first car fire was reported at 1.40 a.m. local time, with the subsequent car fires being reported throughout the night.
German police said that no one was injured in the fires, but that all four vehicles were left entirely unusable. Five other vehicles near the fires were also slightly damaged.
Berlin police said that a “political motive” could not be ruled out, and that the State Security Division of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office had taken over the investigation. The unit investigates threats to the state, including terrorism, extremism, and organized crime.
Germany has seen a number of anti-Musk protests in the wake of his endorsement of the far-right AfD party ahead of the country’s general election in February, many of them targeting Tesla factories.
An image of Musk making a controversial salute following Trump’s inauguration was projected onto Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin in January. The display featured Musk’s gesture alongside the words “Heil Tesla.”
2. Seattle
AP reports: Seattle fire officials said a late Sunday fire that damaged four Tesla Cybertrucks is under investigation. The four Cybertrucks were parked in a Tesla lot in Seattle’s industrial district. No one was injured, and the four trucks were the only property damaged. The first call came at 11:13 p.m. Sunday, said David Cuerpo, Seattle Fire spokesperson.
Tesla has been a target of protests and vandalism in the U.S. and elsewhere after CEO Elon Musk took a prominent role in President Donald Trump’s administration. People have protested Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which has been moving to slash the size of the federal government through large-scale layoffs, contract cancellations and other moves.
3. Oregon
AP reports: Police in Oregon last week said they are working with the FBI to investigate gunshots fired at a Tesla dealership in Salem. That shooting came a week after federal prosecutors in Denver charged a woman in connection with vandalism against a Tesla dealership in Colorado, including Molotov cocktails being thrown at vehicles and the words “Nazi cars” spray-painted on the building.
