Elon Musk has said that “Canada is not a real country,” just one of his social media jabs at the U.S. neighbor.
But people in Canada have done real damage to the vehicles and dealerships belonging to his electric car company, Tesla, according to the police.
More than 80 Teslas had their tires punctured and bodies scratched at a lot in Hamilton, Ontario, the police said on Thursday. Several acts of vandalism against Tesla property have also been committed in the United States.
Hamilton, west of Toronto, is the heart of Canada’s steel manufacturing industry and a battlefront in the country’s trade war with the United States.
President Trump has imposed tariffs on steel and other Canadian products and Canada has responded by applying levies to $20.5 billion worth of exports from the United States.
Mr. Trump has also claimed that Canada has long “ripped off” the United States and wants to make it the 51st state.
Canadians have responded with a grass-roots protest, changing how they shop, travel and think about their relationship with the United States, the country’s closest ally and trading partner. Even the cherished Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky is not immune from the fury for his silence on actions taken by Mr. Trump, who is a friend.
Canadian provincial leaders have introduced their own measures to retaliate against the tariffs, including removing American alcohol products from liquor stores and barring U.S. companies from applying for procurement contracts.
Canadians have also directed their ire at Mr. Musk, the billionaire businessman, who is helping lead Mr. Trump’s effort to reshape the federal government.
In Montreal, two members of a climate advocacy group called Last Generation Canada doused the exterior of a Tesla dealership in pink spray paint on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the group.
The group said it had committed the act because it believed that Mr. Musk was “destroying democracies and spreading climate denial.”
The two members involved in the episode were later arrested, the authorities said.
Concerns about vandalism and protests led organizers of a recent auto show in Vancouver to exclude Tesla from the event.
“This decision will ensure all attendees can be solely focused on enjoying the many positive elements of the event,” Eric Nicholl, the show’s executive director, said in a statement.
Tesla dealerships in other Canadian cities, including Ottawa, the capital, have attracted angry protesters carrying signs.
Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, canceled a contract worth 100 million Canadian dollars, about $70 million, with Starlink, the satellite internet company owned by Mr. Musk.
Last month, thousands of Canadians called on the government to revoke Mr. Musk’s Canadian citizenship and passport in a petition that now has about 376,000 signatures.
