Over 200 people take part in nationwide 'Tesla Takedown' event in Seaside.

At the start of a "Tesla Takedown" protest on Saturday, March 29, over 100 people lined both sides of Del Monte Boulevard in front of the Tesla dealership in Seaside, holding signs and chanting slogans including, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go!" 

Within an hour that number swelled to over 200 people. The Saturday before the weekly protest at the dealership had topped around 60 people.

Many signs at Saturday's event referenced Musk's perceived ties to Nazism, due in large part to his Nazi salute to Trump after the inauguration.

Other signs included, "Stop the coup," "Musk & DOGE must go!" and "Bad Dogey," referring to Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which has been making drastic cuts to federal agencies.

They also displayed upside down U.S. flags, a sign of distress.

Locally, Tesla Takedown protests have been going on every Saturday since March 1, organized by Carmel Valley resident Erim Foster. The first one had about 25 people in attendance. 

March 29 was advertised widely by national Tesla Takedown organizers as a "global day of protest," which likely helped bump up numbers in Seaside. CNN reports that there were over 200 protests in the U.S., with more in Canada and Europe. 

The national day of protest also brought out supporters of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. About 20 counter-protesters positioned themselves directly in front of the Tesla dealership, waving a "Trump 2024" flag. Some held signs that said, "We love Elon."

Foster says the whole point of the Tesla Takedown protests is to hurt Tesla's stock price, with hopes that stockholders will oust Musk as CEO. (Whether or not it has anything to do with the protests, the value of Tesla stock has declined by 45 percent since Dec. 17.)

Foster plans on returning to the dealership every week from noon to 2pm, although next Saturday, from 11am-1pm, April 5, the big protest will be at Window on the Bay in Monterey, part of a nationwide mass mobilization protest effort in support of democracy, women, LGBTQ+ people and immigrants.