Tesla charging stations torched amid growing backlash against Elon Musk

ISTANBUL

Seven Tesla charging stations have been torched in the US state of Massachusetts in the latest signs of a growing backlash against Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the electric carmaker and a top ally of US President Donald Trump.

Near Boston, the state capital, seven Tesla charging stations were set on fire on Monday, severely damaging nearby parked vehicles. Authorities believe the fires were intentionally set and are treating them as suspicious.

A dozen cars caught fire near a Tesla dealership in Toulouse on Sunday night, with eight completely burned and four severely damaged. Prosecutors suspect the incident was not accidental.

No injuries were reported from either incident and the authorities are still investigating them.

According to media reports, the incidents are suspected to be acts of arson amid continuing global protests against Musk, who continues to push firing thousands of US federal workers through his unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, the controversial cost-cutting team Trump let him head after Musk was his largest campaign donor.

Also unpopular in Europe

Musk has recently overseen the firing of thousands of government employees and boasted of billions in savings, though he was forced to scale back many of his claims in recent weeks, admitting that some savings were counted multiple times or represented contracts ended months ago, before Trump even took office.

The world's richest man has also faced a backlash since he made what looked like a Nazi salute at an event for Trump's inauguration, with analysts noting a sharp decline in Tesla's car sales.

Tesla cars have been vandalized, and a woman was arrested on Feb. 24 for trying to set fire to a Tesla dealership in Colorado.

Some owners have placed stickers on their vehicles reading: "I bought it before Elon went nuts."

On Tuesday, a suspected arson attack caused a power outage and halted production at a Tesla plant in Brandenburg, Germany. Meanwhile, an image of Musk making a straight-armed salute was projected onto a Tesla factory near Berlin.

In London, a bus stop poster displayed a similar image and labeled Teslas "the swasticar."

In Europe, Musk has drawn criticism for calling civil war in Britain “inevitable,” promoting the far-right AfD party in Germany, and for what has been called election interference in general.