Elon Musk’s ‘Sieg Heil’ gesture sparks anti-Tesla ad campaign in London

In a spree of random OOH ads, London's public transport network has been transformed into an unofficial gallery of anti-Elon Musk sentiment. From the Underground's tiled corridors to bus shelters dotting the capital, guerrilla-style posters have appeared with the subtlety of a SpaceX rocket launch, taking on the world's wealthiest man.

The unauthorised campaign, first spotted last month in Clerkenwell, a Central London town, has since spread across the metropolis like wildfire. One particularly biting poster declares, “Tesla: The Swasticar. Goes from 0 to 1939 in 3 seconds” – a reference to allegations of Musk's association with the far-right.

Another proclaims, “Tesla The Swasticar. Autopilot for your car, Autocrat for your country,” whilst a third warns potential customers they may be in for a “Nazi surprise”.

Images source: The Independent, The Guardian

As per The Independent, the collective behind the initial wave of posters is called Everybody Hates Elon. It has tapped into a growing reservoir of public antipathy towards the mercurial billionaire in Europe.

This sentiment has been percolating for months, reaching boiling point following Musk's appearance at Donald Trump's inauguration rally in January, where critics accused him of making a gesture resembling a Nazi salute.

Musk, never one to shy away from controversy, dismissed the accusations on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), declaring, “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is so tired.”

His dismissal, however, has done little to quell the criticism, particularly as his political activities have expanded beyond American borders.

Frankly, they need better dirty tricks.

The “everyone is Hitler” attack is sooo tired 😴 https://t.co/9fIqS5mWA0

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2025

The allegations of the Tesla chief meddling in European politics have elicited a mixed response. According to The Financial Times, Musk has been conspiring with right-wing allies to destabilise Britain's Labour government, supplementing these backroom machinations with public social media attacks on the prime minister.

His political interventions extended to Germany ahead of February's federal elections, where he endorsed the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, which secured second place in the polls.

While commuters in London navigate this unauthorised display of anti-Musk sentiment, Tesla itself seems to be deviating from its original path. The company's share price has plummeted by 30% over the past month, with a particularly brutal day on March 10 seeing a 15% crash—its worst performance in over four years.

This single-day collapse wiped a staggering $125 billion from Tesla's market capitalisation.

The company's troubles extend beyond the stock market. Tesla's European sales figures are raising eyebrows in Europe. As per Reuters, in Germany, February sales plunged by 76%. The Netherlands saw a 24% decline, and Sweden and Norway both reported 42% and 48% drops, respectively. 

Denmark matched Norway's 48% fall, with France not far behind at 45%. Italy's 55% decline and Portugal's 53% decrease complete a picture of continental trouble, with even Spain's relatively modest 10% drop offering little consolation.

Industry analysts suggest multiple factors behind this European sales implosion. The growing availability of competitive electric vehicles from established manufacturers has eroded Tesla's first-mover advantage.

Meanwhile, Musk's increasingly divisive political activities have alienated the environmentally conscious, progressive demographic that once formed Tesla's core customer base.

Transport for London, a local government body responsible for most of the transport networks in the UK capital, has reportedly said the posters were not authorised by the network and that they have instructed their teams to remove any that are found.

 The cat-and-mouse game between TfL staff and guerrilla advertisers has become something of a spectator sport for regular netizens.