0 to 1939 in 3 seconds: Why Anti-Elon Musk Satire Is Flourishing in Britain

The mischievous posters began appearing all over London in the past two months.On the side of an East London bus stop, one of them shows Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, emerging from a Tesla’s roof with his hand pointing upward in a straight-armed salute.“Goes from 0 to 1939 in 3 seconds,” the ad reads.

“Tesla.The Swasticar.”Another mock ad shows Mr.

Musk and President Trump in front of a red Tesla with the words: “Now With White Power Steering.” In North London, a fake movie billboard blares: “The Fast and the Führer,” with a picture of Mr.Musk saluting beside a Tesla with a DOGE license plate, a reference to the budget-slashing federal agency he currently leads on behalf of Mr.

Trump.“Parental Guidance,” warns the billboard, put up by a group calling themselves Everyone Hates Elon.“Tesla’s CEO is a far-right activist.

Don’t give him your money.”Across the British capital and in several European cities, Mr.Musk’s signature business has become the target of the same kind of political anger that has fueled vandalism of Tesla cars in the United States and sometimes violent protests at his dealerships.There have been some instances of unruly protests and vandalism in Europe.

But much of the anti-Musk sentiment has taken the form of political satire, of the kind that has flourished in Britain since at least the 18th century.Just outside Berlin, a group called the Center for Political Beauty used high-power lights to project the word “Heil” onto the side of a Tesla factory so that it read “Heil Tesla,” along with a picture of Mr.Musk saluting during a speech in Washington.

In Italy, street art depicts Elon Musk taking off a mask to show Adolf Hitler’s face underneath.The words “Elon Mask” appear above the picture.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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