The Vancouver Auto Show has removed Tesla from its event over safety concerns.
“The Vancouver Auto Show’s primary concern is the safety of attendees, exhibitors and staff,” Eric Nicholl, executive director of the organization, said in a statement. “This decision will ensure all attendees can be solely focused on enjoying the many positive elements of the event.”
Nicholl told CBC News that the prospect of protests and vandalism was the driving factor behind the decision.
Tesla was reportedly offered multiple chances to voluntarily withdraw from the event.
Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk have become targets of increasingly hostile protests and vandalism, including fires, in response to the billionaire’s undefined role in Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. His work to slash federal spending and eliminate government employees has also caused Tesla’s stock price to fall.
Musk claimed on Fox News Tuesday night that a number of forces were conspiring against him.
“When you take away … the money they’re receiving fraudulently, they get very upset, and they basically want to kill me because I’m stopping their fraud,” Musk told host Sean Hannity. “They want to hurt Tesla because we’re stopping this terrible waste and corruption in the government. And, well, I guess they’re bad people. Bad people do bad things.”
Musk claims to have already saved the government billions of dollars but has provided scant evidence of widespread fraud within federal programs.
Earlier this month, a Canadian power provider discontinued an electric vehicle rebate for Tesla products in response to the Trump administration’s 25% tariff on Canadian goods and the president’s continued talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state.
The Vancouver Auto Show is scheduled to run from Wednesday to Sunday. Last year’s exhibit drew more than 130,000 visitors.
