The Proud Boys and Militias Come to Tesla’s Defense

A protester and a Tesla Cybertruck driver argue at a Tesla Takedown rally outside a Tesla showroom in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, March 29.Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Over the weekend, thousands of people joined the “Tesla Takedown” protest movement at the company’s showrooms across the country. At the same time, a much smaller number of Elon Musk supporters turned out at Tesla locations for a counterprotest movement that some participants dubbed “Tesla Shield.”

While the protest movement comprises people angered at Elon Musk’s role in the dismantling of federal government agencies, the counterprotest movement that showed up this weekend was peopled mostly by MAGA supporters. Among them were an array of far-right extremists, including members of the Proud Boys ...