OPINION:
The wave of attacks against Tesla and its infrastructure by radical activists highlights a long and troubling pattern: When those on the left don’t get their way through politics, they turn to violence. President Trump is calling the attacks domestic terrorism, and rightfully so.
The strange juxtaposition is almost too absurd to believe. After years of leftist policies forced Americans into electric vehicles, environmentalists are now targeting America’s leading electric vehicle manufacturers. It is an American-made product that aligns with the left’s climate agenda, yet it is the target of continued violence.
This should make it abundantly clear: The fight was never about the environment. It has always been about raw political power.
The destruction of Tesla charging stations and vandalism of vehicles is just the latest in a long history of ecoterrorism. Extreme activists have long resorted to violence when they fail to force their agenda through conventional means. Remember, President Biden appointed Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management even though she was an unapologetic supporter of tree spiking, a practice designed to maim or kill loggers. In the late 1980s, Ms. Stone-Manning was involved in sending an anonymous letter warning the Forest Service about spiked trees. This should have been a career-ending revelation. Instead, she got a promotion and a sweet government job. The message was clear: When environmentalists are out of power, they resort to violence; when they gain power, they demand legitimacy.
No matter whether it is spiked trees or torched SUVs, left-wing ecoterrorism is well-documented. A 1996 Justice Department paper on the subject warned, “The danger of ecological terrorist organizations is that they condition their members to devalue the lives of those they perceive to be obstacles to the implementation of their cause.” That statement rings truer than ever today. The recent attacks on Tesla are the ideological descendants of tree-spiking and other violent acts committed in the name of environmentalism.
History is littered with examples of ecoterrorists taking their activism to deadly extremes. The Earth Liberation Front, active in the late 1990s and early 2000s, carried out dozens of arson attacks, including the $12 million firebombing of a Vail ski resort in 1998. The Animal Liberation Front, another radical offshoot, has engaged in bombings and arson and even targeted people with death threats. These groups claim to be acting on behalf of the planet but have demonstrated time and again that they are willing to destroy property and risk human lives to achieve their goals.
The violence against Tesla is the latest domino to fall. The perpetrators justify their actions because they dislike Elon Musk’s political stances. This speaks volumes. It proves that leftists are not bound by their principles. A few years ago, Tesla was celebrated as the pinnacle of green innovation, a company making EVs mainstream. Now, because its CEO refuses to toe the liberal line, its cars and infrastructure are fair game for destruction.
This hypocrisy is telling. Whether it’s dictating which vehicles Americans can buy or punishing the manufacturers that don’t adhere to their broader ideological vision, they operate with one goal: consolidating power.
Sadly, the only consistency in their ideology is their default setting to violence against anyone who stands in their way.
If these activists genuinely support EVs and believe they are good for the environment, they will celebrate Tesla’s success. Instead, they are turning old allies into enemies simply because they refuse to be controlled. This is the same warped ideology that led past ecoterrorists to spike trees in forests they claimed to love and burn SUVs in the name of saving the planet.
The attacks against Tesla should serve as a warning. The eco-left has never been about the environment. It is about dominance and will attack anyone, friend or foe, who dares to challenge its grip on power.
• Larry Behrens is an energy expert and communications director for Power the Future. He has appeared on Fox News, ZeroHedge and NewsMax to defend American energy workers. You can follow him on X/Twitter @larrybehrens.
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