Vancouver Auto Show Kicks Tesla Out Due To Security Concerns

The hits just keep coming for Tesla as the automaker was kicked out of the Vancouver International Auto Show because of security concerns following mass protests and vandalism against Tesla vehicles. The move to remove came after Tesla was apparently given "multiple opportunities to voluntarily withdraw." I, for one, am shocked that an Elon Musk-led company would be this stubborn.

The show features over 200 vehicles over the course of five days from automakers like Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai, Chevy and Toyota, but Tesls will no longer be among them. As of the morning of March 18, Tesla was still included, but by the afternoon, it had been removed from the show's website, according to the Vancouver Sun. The show's executive director said their primary concern was "the safety of attendees, exhibitors and staff. This was probably a wise mood given what the relations between the U.S. and Canada are like right now. Tesla's initial inclusion in the auto show royally pissed off some British Columbians who are miffed at Musk for questioning Canada's sovereignty and his role as one of the top advisors to President Trump. Trump has slapped tariffs on all sorts of Canadian goods and threatened to make Canada the "51st state."

In February, Musk posted on X that Canada "is not a real country," which ended up sparking a petition to remove his passport and citizenship that received "...over 375,000 signatures," according to CNN. Musk, funnily enough, has a Canadian passport that he obtained as a teenager through his mother who was born in Saskatchewan. It's understandable why Canadians aren't thrilled with these two jokers.

The Vancouver Sun spoke with Jen Gagnon, a Canadian-American dual citizen, who was a key organizer of the "Tesla Takedown" protest that happened in Surrey, British Columbia over the weekend.

"Bottom line, I want them to take it out," Gagnon told the outlet.

Other protests have also taken place in Vancouver, organized by the advocacy group Vancouver Against fascism, as well as across North America and Europe in response to the policies of the Trump administration and Musk's prominent role as head of the Department of Governmental Efficiency.

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"Since election day, I feel like I've been watching my home burn down and I have felt angry and sad and powerless and helpless," said Gagnon.

I would not be terribly surprised if other auto shows around the globe pull similar moves. Right now, people are pissed off at both Musk and Tesla pretty much everywhere. Unless something serious is done about Musk's leadership at the company, it's unlikely his reputation will do anything but harm Tesla's. People don't want to support a guy who says they shouldn't exist.