The Controversial 'Swasticar' Ad: How a TikTok Campaign Targeting Elon Musk Went Viral

An advert calling Elon Musk’s Teslas the “Swasticars” has gone viral, racking up close to 10 million views on TikTok.

Placed by the British campaign group People vs Profiteers at an east London bus stop, the ad proclaims, “Goes from 0 to 1939 in 3 seconds” and features an image of Musk in his now-infamous pose from a rally celebrating US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

@everyonehateselon 🚨Elon Musk just helped the far-right in 🇩🇪 win their best result since WW2 then called them to say congrats. So don’t buy his f*ing cars, yeah? #dontbuyaswasticar #elonmusk ♬ original sound – Everyone Hates Elon

The advert was created by People vs Profiteers, known for its campaigns against the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda, a controversial policy of the UK’s previous Conservative government. The group also criticized the language used by former British Home Secretary Suella Bravermann regarding immigrants.

The People vs Elon website states:
“The richest man in the world is promoting racist groups in the UK. He wants to distract from his and his billionaire friends' actions by blaming immigrants.”
They further assert, “While nurses use food banks, his wealth grew by $200 billion last year.”
The campaign is also running a fundraiser, encouraging donations of 1-5p (or less than 10 cents) every time Musk posts on X.
Funds raised will support charities including Everyday Racism, Women 4 Refugee Women, People vs Profiteers, Rainbow Migration, and Hope not Hate.
The contract for London’s bus shelters is held by French outdoor firm JCDecaux.