The climate group are said to have popped more than 3,000 tyres since March
A group of
climate activists self-styled as the 'Tyre Extinguishers' are looking to "strike fear" into the owners of 4x4s, SUVs and other gas-guzzling vehicles in their efforts to combat carbon emissions and
global warming.
The organisation, which dates back to July 2021 (at least according to their Twitter bio), have already vandalised cars across London, Brighton, Manchester and Liverpool; Edinburgh, Sheffield, Cambridge and more.
https://twitter.com/T_Extinguishers/status/1510932419846848514?s=20&t=DjB-TwAajvsZ-OrfVUqdFA
Speaking to Sky News, the group declared that they have no intention of slowing down and insist their movement is growing fast. Following a recent interview with the
Daily Express, they estimate that they have
let down more than 3,000 tyres since March 2022.
Claiming that there is no reason for SUVs to be owned and operated in urban areas and central city districts like
Wandsworth in London - where 28 per cent of all cars are said to be diesel (the highest proportion among the Inner London boroughs) - they regularly go out deflating tyres across the UK.
As you can see in the post below, not only do volunteers provide instructions for others on how to deflate a tyre but they also leave notes explaining their reasoning to the drivers they target.
https://twitter.com/T_Extinguishers/status/1523939191167533062?s=20&t=DjB-TwAajvsZ-OrfVUqdFA
The group's spokesperson told the outlet that they intend to keep carrying out their acts on "anyone who drives a huge polluting SUV in a UK city", adding that "there comes a point where asking politely and protesting has stopped working... it's time for action, to sabotage the machines that are killing us."
Local police authorities have warned that the behaviour will not be tolerated and while many may agree with the underlying cause the Tyre Extinguishers are fighting for, plenty do not agree with their methods.
Aside from causing damage to property and the environmental impact of requiring motorists to replace their rubber tyres (which are
manufactured using oil), others are calling it "hugely irresponsible".
One victim speaking to
Sky detailed how she had to use two different vehicles, not to mention pointing out that, "worst-case scenario, someone could have a really bad health condition or be on their way to meet someone who is dying".
This harks back to the
Insulate Britain protests carried out in 2021 and into 2022; one instance saw a
woman suffer a stroke after her son was unable to get her to the hospital in time due to protests on the M25.
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