John,

Let’s be crystal clear: Protesting Tesla is not terrorism. It’s democracy in action. But Donald Trump, in his unholy alliance with billionaire oligarch Elon Musk is threatening to arrest and imprison nonviolent protesters simply for standing up to corporate tyranny.

At a recent press event, Trump equated the Tesla protests with “domestic terror,” vowing the protesters would “go through hell.” His spokesperson took it even further, calling minor acts of vandalism “heinous violence” and branding all activists as terrorists. This isn’t law and order, it’s a fascist power grab.

At the heart of the protests is a nonviolent campaign to confront Musk’s takeover of the federal government and challenge his stranglehold on our democracy. Activists are standing up against Musk’s role in gutting federal jobs and buying political power through $290 million in campaign cash.

This is what authoritarianism looks like: billionaires shaping policy in backroom deals while the public gets steamrolled. That’s why we must raise our voices now. Because if Musk and Trump succeed in labeling peaceful protests as “terrorism,” no movement is safe.

Protesting Tesla is not domestic terrorism! Add your name to denounce any attempt to arrest and imprison nonviolent activists now.

Let’s not kid ourselves, this is about oligarchy versus democracy. Elon Musk’s obscene wealth has purchased him a seat at the highest levels of power, where he’s now leading a fake federal agency to slash jobs and privatize the public sector.

And now, his critics are being painted as criminals. It’s textbook tyranny: manufacture a crisis, crush dissent, and consolidate power.

The greed of the billionaire class doesn’t just threaten our economy, it endangers our most basic freedoms. The same administration that’s cutting food stamps and workers’ protections is now threatening jail time for holding a protest sign outside a Tesla showroom. This isn’t governance. It’s political repression in the service of billionaires.

We know who the real threat to democracy is. It’s not the people in the streets. It’s the oligarchs in the boardrooms and the authoritarians who enable them.

We can stop Trump’s authoritarian crackdown and show that protest is not a crime. Denounce any attempt to arrest and imprison nonviolent activists now.

Let’s show Musk and Trump that the people won’t be intimidated.

- DFA AF Team