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Tesla faces boycott as Malaysians link Musk’s support for Trump to Gaza plan

The backlash highlights the potential impact of Musk’s political involvement on Tesla’s business, particularly in a region with strong pro-Palestinian sentiment

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Elon Musk listens to US President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office on February 11. Photo: Reuters
Tesla faces mounting boycott calls in Malaysia in protest against the support its CEO Elon Musk has shown to US President Donald Trump, who has triggered anger over a controversial plan regarding Gaza, which could displace millions of Palestinians.
Malaysians pulled no punches on social media in response to Tesla’s launch of its latest Model Y “Juniper” this week, branding it a “swasticar” – a term which emerged in Europe after Musk’s hand gestures during Trump’s inauguration last month, which many perceived as resembling a Nazi salute.

“Not touching this swasticar,” read a comment by Adnan Abdullah to a Facebook post by a local car review site regarding Tuesday’s Model Y launch.

Musk, the world’s richest man, denied the gesture had any such connotations, saying in a post on X that his critics “need better dirty tricks” and calling comparisons to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler “sooo tired”.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during Donald Trump’s inaugural parade on January 20. Photo: TNS
Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during Donald Trump’s inaugural parade on January 20. Photo: TNS

But activists in London pasted stickers with the line “Don’t buy a swasticar” on hundreds of Teslas in the city to raise funds for antifascist causes, according to a Newsweek report.

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