Turns out, you can get kicked out of an auto show—even if you’re one of the biggest automakers on the planet. Tesla just got the boot from the Vancouver Auto Show because, get this—protestors at Tesla dealerships keep lighting their cars on fire. Show director Eric Nicholl said Tesla was given “multiple opportunities to voluntarily withdraw.” When Elon Musk refused to leave, he got the boot anyway.

“The Vancouver Auto Show’s primary concern is the safety of attendees, exhibitors, and staff,” Nicholl explained. “This decision will ensure all attendees can be solely focused on enjoying the many positive elements of the event.”

Tesla is still listed in the Vancouver Auto Show’s official guide. But there will be no Model 3, no Cybertruck, and not even a lonely Model Y on display.

Tesla Vancouver protests are a firestorm of politics and optics

Protestors have long opposed Musk’s union-busting politics and cozy relationship with Trump. But since he founded a Department of Government Efficiency—aka DOGE—and began gutting federal agencies while still running Tesla, things have escalated.

Police are investigating a string of arsons at Tesla dealerships. Molotov cocktails in Colorado. Four Cybertrucks torched in Seattle. A row of Teslas lit up in Vegas. A protest group called Tesla Takedown is planning 500 coordinated demonstrations next week. Their mission? “Turn out in numbers to fight Elon Musk’s illegal coup.”

Musk told Fox News: “They basically want to kill me because I’m stopping their fraud… and they want to hurt Tesla.” On X, he added, “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”

Tesla Vancouver optics have investors sounding the alarm

While Musk plays invincible, investors are sweating bullets. Tesla stock has dropped by a third in the last month alone. Dan Ives—managing director at financial firm Wedbush and a longtime Tesla “core bull”—says the company is in a “brand tornado crisis moment” after the Vancouver Auto Show snub.

“Tesla and Musk are facing a defining chapter in their future,” Ives said. His concern? That Musk’s dual roles are damaging both Tesla’s reputation and future sales. And that the blowback is just getting started. There was a Tesla before Elon Musk. If he keeps this up, we may find out what Tesla looks like after Elon Musk.