US electric vehicle maker Tesla, led by Elon Musk, is facing trial on allegations of turning a blind eye to racial discrimination within the company.

According to Bloomberg and the Guardian on the 22nd (local time), legal proceedings initiated against Tesla by the California Civil Rights Department, an agency under the state government, began the previous day at a state trial court in Oakland, California.

The Civil Rights Department claimed that dozens of Black employees at the Tesla Fremont factory suffered from racial slurs as well as wage inequality, promotion discrimination, and harassment, while Tesla management abetted these actions.

As evidence, they presented photos showing graffiti such as the racial slur "nigger" on the walls of the Fremont factory, phrases like "go back to Africa" written in restrooms, on lockers, and on cafeteria tables, white supremacist logos, and the name of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK, a US white supremacist group).

Brett Watson, an attorney for the Civil Rights Department, explained that Black employees had experienced widespread racial discrimination for years, with one worker being exposed to discriminatory slurs about 50 to 100 times a day.

He stated, "This is not the deviation of a few rogue employees; based on hundreds of complaints filed with Tesla and the state government, we can see that this is not an isolated incident."

He also pointed out that the factory was segregated by race, with Black workers receiving lower wages and fewer promotion opportunities compared to white workers.

Tesla has denied all such allegations, countering that it has always taken disciplinary action against employees who used racial slurs.

Tyree Jones, lead counsel for Tesla, repeatedly said "Hello, my nigger" in court on this day, arguing that the so-called N-word was not a racial insult but a way of greeting one another.

On the other hand, witnesses testified that Tesla turned a blind eye to racial harassment and that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk even directly intervened to give preferential treatment to white employees.

A security manager who worked at Tesla for two years stated that after a white employee hurled racial slurs at him more than 10 times, he reported it to the HR department but received no response.

Another senior security manager claimed that when white employees were caught drinking alcohol, Musk himself broke company policy and instructed that they not be fired.

This lawsuit is drawing further attention as it unfolds while Musk has endorsed white supremacist conspiracy theories on X (formerly Twitter).

Through X, Musk has promoted far-right political parties in Europe and endorsed claims that a "white genocide" is taking place.

The trial will run through October 30, and a judge is scheduled to issue a ruling without a jury.

(Photo: Getty Images)