A man described as being in his 40s decided to express his frustration against Elon Musk by attacking one of the CEO’s all-electric vehicles in central Bristol, England.
Unfortunately, the man did not seem to be too familiar with Teslas at all, or even how they looked like. As a result, he ended up attacking and damaging a Polestar electric vehicle instead.
The attack:
As could be seen in videos taken of the attack, the man, seemingly fueled by anti-Elon Musk fury, grabbed a “big pole” and smashed the unfortunate Polestar. The man damaged the Polestar quite a bit, breaking several of the electric car’s windows and seemingly damaging some body panels.
Witnesses noted that prior to the attack, the man was waving a homemade sign slamming Elon Musk and Tesla, as noted in a Daily Mail report.
Man smashes e-car to protest Elon Musk, but mistakes Volvo for Tesla. pic.twitter.com/DNq6UmPS2j— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 27, 2025
Police catch protester, then releases him:
Avon and Somerset Police arrested the pole-wielding man on suspicion of criminal damage, arson, and carrying an offensive weapon in public, though they later released him under investigation.
A local, who initially mistook the racket for fireworks, told authorities that the protester “wasn’t trying to do a runner.” “I thought, it must be some kind of protest,” the local noted.
“I was shocked. When you’re trying to go to sleep on a Monday evening, the last thing you expect to hear is a bloke smashing up a car,” the local added.
Indeed, it was a protest. A protest against the wrong car.
Sign’s Musk Rant:
The protester’s sign is quite rambling, reading: “Eleon Musk you have to pay for all that demolition and seven a trillion dollars for foundation Wielka Orkiestra Witecznej Pomocy,” referring to a Polish charity, The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, for no clear reason.
