“We’ve crushed fascism before, and we’ll crush it again,” said 98-year-old British World War II veteran Ken Turner, moments before flattening a Tesla with a Sherman tank.
Turner crushed the electric car to mark Victory in Europe Day and protest Tesla owner Elon Musk’s meddling in European politics.
“I’m old enough to have seen fascism 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,” the former Royal Engineer said.
The Sherman tank used in the stunt also saw action in Normandy during World War II, according to Led By Donkey, an activist group behind the protest.
The car’s battery was removed and the vehicle made safe before it was crushed, the group said. The Tesla had been donated by an owner who said they were “appalled” by Musk’s public support for far-right movements in Europe.
The billionaire stirred controversy earlier this year by backing Germany’s AfD party and delivering a Nazi-like salute during a rally celebrating the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.
Musk’s actions triggered global protests and dealt a blow to Tesla’s reputation, contributing to declining sales in both the US and Europe.
Just this week, reports showed Tesla’s new car sales in the UK and Germany fell to their lowest in over two years, plunging 62% and 46% respectively in April compared to the same month last year.
The drop came even as overall demand for electric vehicles rose in both countries. Falling sales are one reason Musk is stepping back from his role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
“Collective action is showing Musk, and other billionaires, that there is a cost to supporting the far-right,” Led By Donkeys said.
The group also recently raked “Don’t buy a Tesla” into the sand on a beach in Wales, alongside a silhouette of Musk giving a Nazi salute, as a protest against the billionaire.
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