Sledgehammer-wielding Musk critics smash up Tesla in London art project
Protective helmets were donned and sledgehammers wielded as Elon Musk critics vented their frustration at the Tesla boss and billionaire by smashing up a disused Tesla bound for the scrapheap.The public art project was organised by the social media campaign group Everyone Hates Elon.A 2014 Tesla Model S was provided by an anonymous donor “to create a debate about wealth inequality”, a spokesperson for the group said.The participants gathered at Hardess Studios in south London on Thursday to take it in turns to swing at the car with sledgehammers and baseball bats.The destroyed electric vehicle, which retails for about £14,000, will be auctioned in the next few weeks, with all proceeds going to food bank charities.
“We’re giving Londoners a chance to stand up to far-right hatred and billionaires and express how they feel about the current state of the world,” said the group.“Therapy is expensive, but this is free.”Talia Denisenko, a 32-year-old writer, wore a Ukrainian flag as she took a hammer to the car’s bonnet as Britney Spears’s Hit Me Baby One More Time blared from a speaker.“My family is Ukrainian and Elon Musk wants to keep us occupied,” she said.“Things feel very disempowering at the moment.
This is a little bit of therapy.”Alice Rogers, a 24-year-old University of Cambridge researcher from Illinois, said: “Musk is acting in ways which violate our constitution.I’m very concerned by what I’m seeing – he’s gutting agencies and cutting USAID.This felt really cathartic.I’m not normally a smasher, but that felt really good.
”Everyone Hates Elon, which garnered attention this year for distributing stickers with the slogan “Don’t buy a Swasticar”, said it had made clear that the stunt, called London vs Musk, should not be replicated outside the event.“This is a private event with a used Tesla that was destined for the scrapyard – it’s a supervised, controlled art piece and there are proper safety measures in place,” said a spokesperson.“We urge people not to damage other Teslas or any other cars.”The battery of the scrap car had been removed and recycled.“I’m just aghast at what I see going on in America at the moment,” said Lee Woods, a 45-year-old university lecturer who had travelled two hours from Hampshire for the event.
“I think Musk is using his obscene wealth to promote the far right.”Musk, the world’s richest person, leads the Trump administration’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge), which the president tasked with drastically reducing US government jobs and cutting national debt.Tesla’s shares dropped 13% in the first three months of 2025 – an indication of buyer backlash as a result of Musk’s rightwing politics.Protests calling for a boycott of the electric vehicle company have been taking place on both sides of the Atlantic in recent months, including a global day of action where hundreds of Tesla branches were targeted by protesters from the US group Tesla Takedown.“My opinion [on Musk] has changed hugely,” said Giles Pearson, 32, who dealt the first blow on Thursday.
“Since buying Twitter he’s become seriously rightwing and alienated a lot of people by doing so.I would never normally do something like this … but I’ve always wanted to smash a car.”Tesla was approached for comment.
Notes on chocolate: sweet little treats priced from 70p to £40
From cheap and cheerful to a really gorgeous and generous present It’s a week until Easter and yes I am a little rosy cheeked at still going on about Easter eggs, but Terry’s has just launched an orange gooey egg to go head to head with Cadbury’s Creme Egg.I’m not personally a fan of Terry’s Chocolate Orange (or Creme Eggs, both way too sweet for me, as is almost all commercial chocolate now). But it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge what a… dare I say… cult status they have with some people.This year, sees a new addition to the Terry’s stable – a milk chocolate egg (same size as a Creme Egg) with orange cream inside, 70p from almost everywhere that sells chocolate.There’s also (exclusive to Tesco) a new mint Easter egg with a mint chocolate ball, £6, which went down very well with testers (‘There’s an egg and a mint chocolate orange!’)At completely the other end of the scale Pierre Marcolini, maker of some of the world’s best truffles, has launched a 30th anniversary box of chocs
Sunday with Angela Hartnett: ‘I’m up at 6.30am enjoying an empty Hampstead Heath’
The chef talks about her antisocial dogs, borderline hoarding and home dinners among chefsEarly riser? I try, although I’ve been slacking recently. I like to be up at 6.30am and off to an empty Hampstead Heath. I’ve got antisocial dogs who think they own the park, so it’s easier that way. Then I can spend the rest of the day at home away from everyone
Dorian, London: ‘Truly refined decadence’ – restaurant review
If the gentrification of Notting Hill brings with it lovely Dorian, then Miquita Oliver and her mum Andi won’t hear a word against itDorian, 105-107 Talbot Road, London W11 2AT (020 3089 9556; dorianrestaurant.com). Small plates £19-£65; large plates £37-£145; desserts £8.50-£12; wine from £50I’m going to tell you a story. This is a story about that which shall not be named
Who stole all the cheese? The inside story of the boom in luxury food heists
Who would steal 22 tonnes of posh cheese, or £37,000 of smoked salmon? A rise in fraudulent orders for luxury foodstuffs has rattled the industry, leaving artisan producers with unpaid bills and a truckload of questions…One day in October 2024, Chris Swales, 54, a smoked-salmon producer with a confident demeanour and a stubbled jaw, stood at the gates of an industrial estate in east London staking out the units. There were teenagers loitering about, knackered cars, XL Bullies; everyone seemed to have more than one phone. It didn’t seem like the sort of place where nine pallets of frozen fish would be delivered, but – he checked the address he had noted down from the courier – this was the place.A couple of months earlier, Swales couldn’t have imagined that he’d be sniffing around Walthamstow on the hunt for £37,000 in missing produce, yet here he was. In August, he’d received an email – subject: “Collaboration” – from a man named Patrick Moulin, who claimed to be the buyer for Match, a French supermarket
Fortified wines to pair with the Easter treats
A glass of Port, Madeira or Marsala is just the thing to elevate chocolate and Simnel cakeThe Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Vinte Vinte Chocolate and Port Tasting Box, Douro, Portugal NV (from £22, amazon.co
Mine’s a pint of Unesco… brewers chase heritage status for British cask ale
It is one of Britain’s most historic drinks, still sold in thousands of pubs across the nation, but cask beer has long been in decline.Besides suffering from a reputation as an “old man’s drink” and the divisive debate over the “cellar temperature” at which it is served, the number of establishments selling it, and the volume and value of sales, have all dropped dramatically in recent years.Last week, a petition was launched to protect the “historic and traditional serving method” that was “unique to the UK”, calling for the government to recognise the production and serving of cask ale as a Unesco intangible cultural heritage, akin to Belgian beer culture, Arabic coffee and French baguettes.No British product yet holds the status, and the UK only ratified the 2003 Unesco convention for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in March 2024.Jonny Garrett, who launched the petition and created the Keep Cask Alive online documentary series, said cask ale was a crucial part of British history
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