On Sunday evening, music and chants of protest blared over a loudspeaker in front of the newly opened Tesla Diner on Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange Drive.
Shouted refrains, including “Hey-hey, ho-ho, Elon Musk has got to go” and “Tesla board, shame on you, you support a fascist coup,” were backed by the steady beat of a snare drum, accompanied by demonstrators on a cowbell and a safety whistle.
Flanked by about 80 protesters, a giant, inflatable-tube effigy of Elon Musk donned a “Dark MAGA” hat while heiling Hitler, in reference to the Tesla CEO’s infamous Nazi-style salute at the inauguration rally of President Donald Trump.
For members of the “Tesla Takedown” movement leading demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday, the recent opening of Tesla CEO Musk’s new diner in Hollywood fueled their frustration at the tech billionaire and Trump’s former right-hand man.
Many of the protest chants and signs from the weekend rallies referenced federal funding cuts to social security, healthcare, national parks, and education. Musk, who led the unofficial Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) until his big public breakup with Trump in May, was responsible for slashing government funding and shuttering several key agencies providing a social safety net in the U.S.