Some stories trundle out of the newsfeed so perfectly bizarre they demand a second, even third glance. Here’s one for the archives: a WWII veteran, a historical tank, a blue Tesla Model 3, and a pointed message aimed straight at Elon Musk. Literal metaphors rarely get this much production value.
Tanks for the Memories
Depending on which report you’re reading, the names and hardware slightly differ—a touch that only adds to the archival oddity. Newsweek identifies the veteran as 98-year-old Ken Turner behind the wheel of a Sherman tank, while The National refers to Ken Burns operating a Nazi-era German tank. Both agree, though, that the main event is a veteran and a tank flattening a Tesla, courtesy of Led By Donkeys, a British activist group known for their attention-grabbing stunts.
As reported by Newsweek, the protest came together as a response to Musk’s growing political footprint in Europe, particularly his public support for far-right parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The video, reviewed by both Newsweek and The National, features the veteran stating with arch simplicity, “We’ve crushed fascism before, and we’ll crush it again.” Not much left to interpret there.
License Plates and Political Plates
The Tesla wasn’t just any electric sedan left out to dry. Both outlets note that it sported a custom registration plate starkly spelling “FASCISM,” transforming the whole scene into a rolling political cartoon. According to The National, the Led By Donkeys group released the video on the 80th anniversary of VE Day—a deliberate backdrop for a statement against the resurgence of political ideologies the Allies once fought against.
Turner (or Burns, depending on your paper of record) addresses Musk directly in the video. As Newsweek paraphrases, he describes Musk as “the richest man in the world… using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe,” while highlighting how Tesla’s global success is being leveraged for these efforts. With the tank as platform, the symbolism isn’t exactly buried.
Meanwhile, Led By Donkeys, introduced by The National as an “accountability project” rooted in Brexit-era protest, have made a habit of targeting high-profile figures they see as undermining democracy. Their previous campaign with Germany’s Centre for Political Beauty involved projecting an image of Musk’s inauguration-day salute across Tesla’s Berlin factory, complete with the wording “Heil Tesla,” as Newsweek recounts.
History in High Gear
Alongside the spectacle, underlying facts peek out: Newsweek notes that since Musk took on a larger role in President Trump’s administration and amplified his endorsements for European far-right and anti-establishment parties, Tesla sales in Europe have nosedived sharply in the first quarter of 2025—a detail reflecting broader backlash. Discussion in The National echoes this, referencing consistent criticism Musk has received for his alleged “platforming of extremists” and political interference in the US and the UK.
In response, a Led By Donkeys spokesperson cited by Newsweek argues that Musk is using his “wealth from Tesla to back far-right parties and degrade democracy,” noting it’s becoming less appealing to be seen driving a Tesla these days. No word yet from the Tesla PR department on whether the warranty covers protest flattenings.
Rubber, Road, and Resonance
Does the image of a WWII veteran flattening a Tesla with a tank work as protest or just as viral theater? For the detail-oriented, the answer might fall somewhere in between—but the visual certainly lingers. Tech innovation may aim for the future, but sometimes a seven-decade-old artifact makes the louder point: some reputations can be flattened faster than even the fastest electric car.
The National frames the protest within the broader trend of political street theater in the UK and Europe, pointing to the effectiveness (and divisiveness) of such public performances. And if you wonder what new forms protest might take when history itself becomes both tool and symbol—well, apparently sometimes it arrives at five miles per hour, with a veteran at the wheel and a message delivered in steel.
No matter who sat in the driver’s seat—Turner or Burns, Sherman or Panzer—it was the tank, and the history it carried, that cut through the noise. For Tesla’s Model 3, that’s one “crush test” it wasn’t built to pass.
