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Video Credit: Alexandra Datig
A dramatic scene from the “Hands Off” protests in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025, was captured by Alexandra Datig, showing a Waymo driverless taxi engulfed in flames. Protesters reportedly set the vehicle ablaze amid mounting tensions over ICE raids and broader discontent with President Donald Trump’s second-term policies targeting immigrants and marginalized communities.

The burning of the autonomous vehicle—believed to contain lithium-ion batteries—raises serious environmental and health concerns. Studies have shown that fires involving such batteries release toxic gases, including dioxins, furans, benzene, and styrene, all linked to respiratory illnesses and long-term cancer risks.

This incident also taps into growing resistance to autonomous vehicles, with prior protests in Santa Monica seeing residents use traffic cones and personal vehicles to obstruct Waymo cars, as reported by Futurism on May 31, 2025.

The protests in Los Angeles are part of a nationwide movement, with over 100,000 demonstrators marching in Washington, D.C., and large-scale rallies erupting in cities across the U.S., opposing federal crackdowns on immigration, healthcare, and social welfare programs. According to The Washington Post (June 8, 2025), these protests have triggered a political standoff between the White House and state officials, reflecting a volatile mix of technological, policy, and societal tensions.