In a series of incidents that unfolded overnight, arsonists destroyed four Tesla EVs in Berlin, Germany, as violence and vandalism against Elon Musk and his car company continue to escalate worldwide.
Newsweek reports that in the early hours of Friday morning, arsonists in Berlin perpetrated a wave of attacks targeting Tesla vehicles, as the backlash against Elon Musk and his electric car company intensifies globally. According to German police, four Tesla EVs were set ablaze in the Plänterwald and Steglitz neighborhoods, with authorities not ruling out the possibility of political motives behind the incidents.
The first car fire was reported at approximately 1:40 a.m. local time, with subsequent fires being reported throughout the night. While no injuries were reported, all four targeted vehicles were entirely destroyed, and five nearby cars sustained minor damage from the fires. Berlin police have stated that the State Security Division of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office, a unit that investigates threats to the state, including terrorism, extremism, and organized crime, has taken over the investigation.
The arson attacks on Tesla vehicles in Berlin are not isolated incidents, as they follow a wave of anti-Musk protests that have emerged in the wake of his appointment as head of the Department of Government Efficiency in President Donald Trump’s administration. Additionally, Musk’s endorsement of Germany’s AfD party ahead of the country’s general election in February has further fueled the discontent, with many protests targeting Tesla factories in the country.
The electric car company has also been grappling with a declining stock price in recent months, with many attributing the drop in part to Musk’s political activities. Along with fierce competition and outdated models, Musk’s strong support of Trump and sovereigntist parties in Europe have damaged the company’s reputation with its overwhelmingly leftist customer base.
Read more at Newsweek here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
