Tāmaki Makaurau joins global day of action Tesla Takedown protests against fascism

We are protesting against the fascist coup occurring in the United States of America. Trump's election was funded by billionaire CEO of Tesla, the deplorable Elon Musk. Under Musk, the second Trump administration is gutting government departments and undoing decades of hard-won progress. When Tesla loses money, Musk loses money. So boycott Tesla and join the Tesla Takedown! We encourage people to join our peaceful picket outside the Tesla warehouse in Māngere, South Auckland on Saturday, the International Day of Action #TeslaTakedown, from 10.30am to 11.30am. We are standing in solidarity with the many migrants who are being snatched and imprisoned into detention camps and forcibly removed from the USA under the racism and political prejudice which Musk incites. We are making a show of solidarity for Palestine supporters who are being deported and politically repressed. We are in solidarity with all disabled people with uncertain futures as the Trump regime slashes the availability of government support. We are in solidarity with people who need to access reproductive health but have been stripped of this right, as people in power enforce their religious beliefs on civic society. We are in solidarity with everyone impacted by the anti-DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) purge which includes defunding education, programmes and research, deleting information and firing people who don't fit into the conservative Agenda 2025 plan. We stand in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ Americans facing erasure and criminalisation for being their authentic selves. The creation of the Department of Governmental Efficiency - a pseudo-governmental agency headed by one of the richest men in the world, and staffed by handpicked officials - represents one of the most flagrant examples of wealth influencing politics in decades, and underlines the continuing trend of ostensibly democratic governments shelving the needs of their people, in favour of those of oligarchs and billionaires. We are appalled by the mass firing of Government workers, as well as the cuts to social programmes created to support the marginalised and vulnerable, while companies which Musk holds large shares of ownership, benefit from continued subsidies, tax credits, and government orders. The US Government has become a textbook example of corruption. Both Elon Musk and Tesla are notorious for their harsh stance on unions and worker's organisations. By protesting Tesla, we are not only sending a message that the sort of democratic backsliding that is happening in the USA won't be accepted here in Aotearoa, but also standing in solidarity with Tesla workers and their right to organise. On the world stage, the US government has presented a threat to peace, with President Trump enthusiastically supporting and abetting criminal administrations in Russia and Israel, while repeatedly threatening the sovereignty of neighbouring states such as Canada and Greenland. As advocates for human rights and international law, our Government has no business cooperating militarily with the US administration. Meanwhile in Aotearoa, we have seen glaring similarities to the Trump administration with the firing of public sector employees and broad hiring freezes, with claims that these workers were superfluous to efficiency. These cuts have even targeted vital sectors such as Te Whatu Ora, and the Māori Health Authority. Despite these austerity measures, the National government has prioritised tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and landlords. The Government has made numerous attacks on Māori through rushed law changes and hotly contended bills; bills which aim to strip references to Te Tiriti o Waitangi from New Zealand’s laws and disadvantage Tāngata Whenua. New Zealand First and ACT, are taking a page out of the MAGA playbook, using attacks on the rights of transgender people and culture war rhetoric to divide and distract the public from the crisis of capitalism and its outcome, climate change. Trump's regime is not a tenable ally for Aotearoa New Zealand. We demand the NZ Government stands up to the global menace, Trump, and withdraws the New Zealand Defense Force from cooperation agreements and exercises with the US Military. Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly. #TeslaTakedown #BoycottTesla