--- title: "Watch a 98-Year-Old World War II Vet Absolutely Demolish a Tesla With a Tank" description: "A 98-year-old World War II veteran, who served in the British Army, absolutely destroyed a Tesla vehicle with the license plate \"FASCIM.\"" date: "2025-05-18" modified: "2025-05-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ww2-vet-tesla-tank" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "fascism" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Watch a 98-Year-Old World War II Vet Absolutely Demolish a Tesla With a Tank ![A 98-year-old World War II veteran, who served in the British Army, absolutely destroyed a Tesla vehicle with the license plate "FASCIM."]() *\Image: Led By Donkeys via YouTube\* ## Crushing Fascism A 98-year-old World War II veteran, who served in the British Army, absolutely destroyed a Tesla vehicle with the license plate "FASCIM" in a [recently shared YouTube video](). As first [spotted by *Gizmodo*](), veteran Ken Turner used a Sherman tank, one of the most widely used tanks used by the US and its western allies against the Nazis in World War II, to turn a navy blue Tesla into a pancake. The video was uploaded by the British anti-Brexit and anti-conservative political group Led by Donkeys to send a clear message. "Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars," the group wrote in the video's caption. "We’ve crushed fascism before and we’ll crush it again." https://youtu.be/lw4ZjhOukwU ## Tesla Smackdown The symbolic stunt highlights Musk's embrace of extremist and racist views. The mercurial CEO has used his considerable platform to further unhinged conspiracy theories and spread hurtful anti-immigrant rhetoric. And who could forget president Donald Trump's post-inauguration celebration, during which Musk [performed not just one but two Nazi salutes]()? He has appeared at a rally for the Alternative for Germany party — a growing, far-right nationalist contingency [boasting ties to neo-Nazism]() — and [attended meetings]() with Italian right-wing populist political party Lega. As a result, anti-Musk sentiment has soared, giving life to an [international protest movement](), dubbed "Tesla Takedown." It's a terrifying new predicament, with experts warning of the rise of [technofeudalism](), ruled by a tiny number of "broligarchs," like Musk. To some, it's an eerie deja vu of some of the darkest chapters in recent human history. "I’m old enough to have seen fascism the first time around, now it’s coming back," said veteran Turner in the latest video — before crushing the Tesla in a tank. **More on Elon Musk:** *[As Sales Continue to Plummet, Tesla Is Considering a Massive Payday for Elon Musk]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()