Greenpeace Protests Against Billionaires at Tesla Store in Czechia
A protest was held outside a Tesla store in Čestlice, Czechia, on June 11, 2025, as part of a global campaign by Greenpeace to highlight the impact of billionaires on democracy and the environment. The protest, which was part of Greenpeace’s ‘Time to Resist’ campaign, saw activists from the organisation occupy the rooftop of the store and display a large banner reading "Our world is not your toy: #TimeToResist".
According to Miriam Macurová, head of the ‘Time to Resist’ campaign in Czechia, the protest was aimed at billionaires such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump, who Greenpeace claims are causing chaos in society, democracy, and environmental protection. "We were protesting against billionaires because another billionaire who is very close to Trump and his administration is also Kelcy Warren, the chairman of the fossil-fuel company Energy Transfer Partners, who is suing Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International for $660 million," Macurová explained in an interview with Czech Radio.
The protest in Čestlice was part of a wider global campaign by Greenpeace, which is facing a lawsuit from Energy Transfer Partners for supporting an indigenous protest against the building of fossil-fuel infrastructure in 2017. "We wanted to show how billionaires are causing trouble for democracy, the right to protest, and the right to free speech," Macurová said. The ‘Time to Resist’ campaign aims to highlight the impact of billionaires on society and the environment, and to promote the use of anti-SLAPP legislation to protect NGOs, scientists, and journalists from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.
The protest in Čestlice saw activists display a large picture of Trump and Musk setting the planet on fire, as well as changing small banners with the Tesla logo to ones with the faces of Musk and Trump and the slogan "Stop the Billionaire Takeover". The protest took around four hours to complete, with police present at the scene. "The whole activity went as planned," Macurová said. "The police were also there, and we were talking to them and negotiating, so everything went well." The protest was widely reported on social media, with Greenpeace Czech Republic tweeting images and updates from the scene.
Greenpeace is an organisation with many fans in Czechia, but also many critics. In response to criticism that the protest was targeted at Tesla itself, Macurová said that the organisation was not protesting against electric cars or the company, but rather using it as a symbolic location to highlight the impact of billionaires. "We chose it as a symbolic place for Elon Musk," she said. "He is one of the faces of billionaires, as the wealthiest person in the world. We chose it to show how he’s like causing the mess in politics when no one voted for him." The protest was supported by several high-profile figures, including actress Antonia Formanová and writer Jiřà Stránský.
The case against Energy Transfer Partners is set to go to court on July 2nd in the Netherlands, with Greenpeace International using new European anti-SLAPP legislation to fight back against the lawsuit. "This is also a big momentum, not only for Greenpeace, but for the wider movement and also for the fight for the freedoms to speak and to protest," Macurová said. The outcome of the case is likely to have significant implications for the use of SLAPP lawsuits to silence NGOs and other organisations. According to Czech Radio, the protest and the case against Energy Transfer Partners highlight the growing concerns about the impact of billionaires on society and the environment.
