It seems nothing the Left does is organic, largely because they can't articulate or defend the absolutely indefensible policies they hold. It doesn't help that on 80/20 issues, they've chosen the 20 sides as the hill to die on (and that's reflected in the Democratic Party's approval ratings).
For several weeks now, we've seen both coordinated and not-so-coordinated protests targeting Tesla. We've also had fire-bombings of charging stations and service centers, the vandalizing of Tesla vehicles, and a doxxing list of Tesla owners who face harassment by unhinged Leftists unless they sell their vehicles.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has vowed to seek 20 years in prison for one such Leftist firebug named Cooper Frederick.
Local Attorneys General and district attorneys who are interested in the rule of law should also start looking into the coordinated Tesla protests, which -- at least in Virginia -- appear to violate state law.
🚨New data analysis by @AsraNomani @DPearlProject reveals that local protestors are part of a network of at least 225 groups with revenues of about $3 BILLION, organizing #TeslaTakedown and #HandsOff protests against @elonmusk @Tesla. https://t.co/8P34mkdALg
— Fairfax County Times (@FairfaxTimes) April 1, 2025
We'll set aside the 'critics say' qualifier on the headline, and focus instead on what Virginia law actually says:
Legal experts warn that these protests may be crossing a line. According to § 18.2-499 of the Virginia Code, 'Any two or more persons who combine, associate, agree, mutually undertake or concert together for the purpose of (i) willfully and maliciously injuring another in his reputation, trade, business or profession by any means whatever... shall be jointly and severally guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.'
For example, demonstrators plan a protest in front of the Tesla dealership on North Military Highway in Norfolk, where attorney David Littel has been following the demonstrations statewide and nationwide. 'This kind of concerted action to harm a business is plainly illegal under long-standing criminal and civil conspiracy statutes in Virginia,' Littel told the Fairfax County Times.
'The statutes sweep very broadly to include any concerted action between persons, which would include individuals and non-governmental organizations,' Littel said. 'The civil statute makes any participant liable for the resulting harm to the business’s reputation, including lost profits. The people engaging in this activity would be well advised to think seriously about the legal consequences of what they’re doing.'
Under Virginia Code § 18.2-500, 'Any person who shall be injured in his reputation, trade, business or profession by reason of a violation of § 18.2-499, may sue therefore and recover three-fold the damages... and the costs of suit, including a reasonable fee to plaintiff’s counsel… [including] loss of profits.'
Prosecution for criminal violations is the jurisdiction of Commonwealth Attorneys, but businesses can file civil lawsuits.
For years, the Left loved to tell us 'no one is above the law', and yet -- invariably -- they think (and act like) they are above the law.
They like to pretend it's 1964 and they're the brave Civil Rights activists standing up to the big, bad racists. Except the Civil Rights activists knew they'd likely be arrested -- even for peaceful protests -- if they broke the law. And they didn't try to worm their way out of the consequences.
Leftists are not willing to make those sacrifices. They want to protest without facing any heat or -- heaven forbid -- criminal or civil penalties for the damage they do.
A woman stuck gum in the locking mechanism of a Tesla, causing thousands of dollars in damage. It was enough that she was charged with a felony (something this Harvard professor found very offensive).
I'm glad some of these protesters are facing the consequences for it. The risk that comes with allowing such behavior to continue in violation of state laws (Virginia's or otherwise) is too great. Earlier, I told you about a Walgreens employee who was killed this week because the suspect had a beef with big pharma and -- thanks to the lionization of guys like Luigi Mangione -- was driven to shoot a cashier for being associated with Walgreens. It will not stop there.
We already had a 61-year-old woman assaulted in her Cybertruck. On video. Her attacker was arrested.
The entire aim of these Tesla protests is to not only harm Elon Musk's business (and with it, jeopardize the jobs of tens of thousands of people), but to push some mentally unstable Leftist to harm Musk or a Tesla driver. But it all stops when we start making examples of these lawbreakers.
In Virginia, at least, it appears the law is clear: these Tesla protests are illegal.
And these Leftists shouldn't be above the law.
