Organizers of the “Tesla Takedown” have announced that today will be their largest day of global action, with thousands of people expected to gather outside Tesla showrooms, dealerships, and charging stations to peacefully express their objections to Elon Musk’s role in reducing government spending.

As the protests against Tesla have gained momentum, a backlash has also emerged. Protesters holding signs are being mistakenly associated with masked vandals who have thrown Molotov cocktails. This distinction is becoming increasingly blurred on social media and in Washington.

President Donald Trump has labeled attacks on Tesla as “domestic terrorism” and threatened to send “terrorist thugs” to prisons in El Salvador. Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has pledged to prosecute “those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes,” despite evidence suggesting that the attacks were carried out by “lone offenders.” Additionally, Musk’s decision to accuse a peaceful protester of “committing crimes” on X has fueled a public discourse that equates protest with vandalism and vandalism with terrorism.

If the government or law enforcement begins to treat all anti-Tesla actions as criminal, peaceful protesters may face consequences intended for extremists.

“Terrorism is a complex concept in law enforcement because it is defined by its political nature,” Mike German, a former FBI special agent and fellow at the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, told TechCrunch. “That’s why counterterrorism measures often result in problematic outcomes, targeting the civil rights of people engaged in First Amendment-protected activity rather than those committing acts of violence.”

The Tesla Takedown protesters have consistently promoted nonviolence at rallies and on their website. The movement’s stated goal is not to physically harm Tesla or Musk but to encourage people to sell their Teslas, sell their stock, and stop buying new Teslas.

“The reason [Musk] is in his current position is because of his wealth, and we believe that if we can continue to drive down the Tesla stock price, we will impact him where it matters,” Natasha Purdum, a New Jersey-based organizer, told TechCrunch. “Ultimately, we see this as a key to addressing the significant harm being caused by DOGE and Elon Musk in our federal government.”

Musk is the world’s richest person, largely due to his Tesla stock. He owns roughly 13% of the company, valued at around $829 billion, making his share worth around $107.8 billion. This wealth has enabled Musk to spend $44 billion to buy Twitter, the primary platform he uses to communicate with his 219 million followers. Musk has also used his own funds to donate more than $260 million to the America PAC that helped Trump win the election.

As someone who spent 16 years as an FBI special agent focused on domestic terrorism, German says he wouldn’t be surprised to see local police working closely with terrorism taskforces — like the one the FBI recently formed — to monitor Tesla Takedown protests. According to the Attorney General’s Guidelines, the FBI doesn’t require a factual basis for a suspicion of terrorism to begin conducting physical surveillance, which can include taking photos of people, cars, and license plates, deploying informants to infiltrate a group, accessing private databases, and more.

“It’s also important to understand that law enforcement in the United States is primarily intended to protect the property of the wealthy,” German said. “Corporations in the United States are politically powerful and have access to elected officials and top law enforcement officials. When their interests are challenged, particularly by protest, they want to present that as a law enforcement issue rather than as legitimate public concerns about their corporate activities.”

The FBI declined to comment on TechCrunch’s question about whether the agency is taking any special action this weekend.

“We’re going to go after them”

Musk and the Trump administration have escalated their rhetoric ahead of March 29, when at least 213 Tesla Takedown protests are scheduled worldwide, from Colorado and Kentucky to Germany, Minnesota, France, and Texas.

On Thursday, Musk appeared on Fox News’ “Special Report” to say that he and Trump are going to “go after…the ones providing the money, the ones pushing the lies and propaganda.”

Trump has suggested that the attacks on Tesla property were coordinated to intimidate Musk, despite internal assessments finding otherwise. Musk has also claimed, without providing proof, that certain Tesla Takedown organizers were funded by ActBlue, a nonprofit that funds progressive causes and Democratic candidates.

And Bondi has accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) of “calling for further insurrection” after Crockett said that Musk needed to be “taken down” at a virtual Tesla Takedown rally last week. Crockett emphasized the need for nonviolence and peaceful demonstrations, but Bondi warned her to “tread very carefully.”

German says this rhetoric is an old government tactic to try to discredit and suppress protest movements by claiming that “a handful of acts of violence are the result of the spread of bad ideas, radical ideas.”

Purdum, one of the Tesla organizers, advised protesters to prioritize their wellbeing. She recommended leaving if they feel unsafe, adhering to local protest regulations, not trespassing, following police orders, and having a lawyer’s number readily available.

“Authoritarian regimes have a long history of equating peaceful protest with violence,” Stephanie Frizzell, a Tesla Takedown organizer from Dallas, said. “The Tesla Takedown movement has always been and will remain nonviolent. Their goal is to intimidate us into silence as we stand against Musk’s destructive actions — but defending free speech is fundamental to democracy. We will not be deterred.”