Anti-DOGE agitators occupy Tesla dealership in NYC, chant ‘Zelensky is a hero’

Security at the dealership attempted to prevent protesters from entering the premises as the crowd grew. Footage from Freedom News TV captured an altercation between protesters and an angry Tesla customer who had come to test-drive a vehicle.

“Why do you have to impede on people’s regular life?” the frustrated customer yelled to the protesters. “I’m coming to test drive a car. I get people want their freedom of speech, but why are you blocking the way to get in? It makes no sense. You guys aren’t courageous.”

The protest also featured expressions of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with demonstrators chanting “Zelensky is a hero.” The event came one day after Zelensky’s tense meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House, where Trump pressed the Ukrainian leader on his reluctance to pursue peace negotiations with Russia

Elsewhere in New York City, Ukrainians gathered in Times Square for an emergency protest, waving Ukrainian flags and singing the US national anthem while calling on the United States to increase its support for Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.

The protest was one of many taking place as part of the #TeslaTakedown movement, where protesters have gathered at Tesla locations across the country in an effort to target Musk’s company. During his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Musk dismissed protests happening as “fake rallies,” saying, “At this point, I’m not sure how much of the left is even real.”