A small group of demonstrators gathered outside the Tesla dealership off Décarie Boulevard on Friday to mark Elon Musk’s birthday — but there were no candles or cake. Instead, there were signs and songs over the concerns the group has about what the billionaire man represents. The event was led by the Montreal Raging Grannies, a long-standing activist group known for using music and satire to protest war, inequality and climate inaction. This time, their focus was Musk — a man they view not just as a business tycoon, but a political force with global reach. “It’s his birthday, but we don’t feel like celebrating,” said Marguerite “Soleil” Bilodeau, a member of the group for the last 20 years. “He uses his privilege and his money to make matters worse, and all for his own benefit.” Bilodeau said she’s concerned by Musk’s ownership of platforms and companies that wield significant social and political influence. Other demonstrators echoed that view, including Randi Weitzner, a dual Canadian-American citizen. She said she felt compelled to speak out, especially in light of Musk’s growing ties to U.S. politics and recent waves of government job cuts. “When you see things happening that go against democracy, you have to get up, get out and do something about it,” she said. The Montreal protest mirrored similar demonstrations that have taken place outside Tesla showrooms in the United States since at least 2019. While typically small and peaceful, some experts say they raise valid concerns about Musk’s political influence, especially heading into another U.S. presidential term under Donald Trump. Graham Dodds, a political science professor at Concordia University with an expertise in American politics, said the billionaire’s sway extends far beyond cars or rockets. “Today, most people focus on Musk as the guy who wants to colonize Mars, or the one behind Tesla’s ups and downs. But he’s involved in much more than that — not least of which is social media,” said Dodds. From artificial intelligence firms and SpaceX to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Dodds said Musk’s different ventures give him “this outsized power in shaping political narratives.” He also noted that under Musk’s ownership, X has become an increasingly powerful force in American political life. “By most accounts, the platform played a key role in the rise of Trump in his first election, his second, and again today,” he said. “After the January 6 insurrection, there was a pushback against disinformation, and platforms like Facebook and [then Twitter] were pressured to moderate their content, but those days are gone.” Dodds said that the shift away from sources like traditional news outlets has made it harder for people to agree on facts, which undermines democratic debate. He also emphasized the challenge of pushing back against Trump’s influence in Canada. “To my mind, Prime Minister Mark Carney has done a decent job of politely pushing back, saying Canada is not for sale, just as the White House isn’t for sale, or Buckingham Palace isn’t for sale,” he said. “But Trump is so mercurial, it’s hard to know what strategy might work. Even if something worked today, it might not work tomorrow.” Dodds added that consumer protests, such as boycotting a Tesla, can have some symbolic impact, even if they don’t immediately lead to policy change. “There’s a long history of people using their buying power to express politics,” he said. “In the U.S., your politics can influence what kind of coffee you drink, what kind of fast food you eat, what kind of pizza you order and now, what kind of car you drive.” For the Raging Grannies, the demonstration was about doing just that: using their voices to speak out. “We have a kind of power,” said group member Sheila Laursen. “Because we’re older, we’ve lived lives, we have opinions. While we don’t always get to express these opinions, we can when we’re Raging Grannies.” As traffic honked in support and passersby stopped to watch, the group sang one final chorus in protest, hoping their message reached its intended target. “Our right is to be heard,” they sang.
