Eco-activists vandalise up to a dozen SUVS in Bristol
Eco-activists vandalise up to a dozen SUVS in Bristol by spray painting vehicles with slogans including ‘climate criminal’ and ‘this machine kills kids’
- Police they received 11 reports of car damage in the Clifton area of Bristol
- Has your car been damaged? Email [email protected]
Eco-vigilantes have taken to the streets to vandalise SUVs by spray painting slogans such as ‘climate criminal’ and ‘this machine kills kids’ onto the pricey cars in Bristol.
Members of the eco-group The Tyre Extinguishers, which indiscriminately targets 4x4s regardless of whether they were fueled by petrol, diesel or even electricity, claimed responsibility for damaging 11 cars in the Clifton area of the city.
This is the second time cars in the area have been targeted by the group, with 60 4x4s having their tyres slashed by the climate change zealots earlier this year.
The activist group, which began in the UK but has now become a worldwide campaign operating in 18 countries, aims to make it ‘impossible to own an SUV in the world’s urban areas for climate, health and public safety’.
Just this week tyres have been deflated in Boston in the United States, Fredeiksberg in Denmark and Potsdam in Germany.
Members of the eco-group The Tyre Extinguishers claimed responsibility for damaging 11 cars in the Clifton. One car had ‘climate criminal’ spray painted on it in the most recent action (pictured from previous demonstration)
Another vehicle had ‘this machine kills kids’ branded on one of its doors (picture from previous demonstration)
The Tyre Extinguishers praised the vandalism of the 11 cars in Clifton, Bristol on Twitter
Other countries that the groups have carried out the vandalism include Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Norway, New Zealand and Portugal.
Has your car been targeted by The Tyre Extinguishers?
If you car has been vandalised email [email protected]
Yesterday’s damage to cars in Bristol included a black Range Rover the statement ‘this machine kills kids’ being spray painted onto the car, while a silver truck had ‘climate criminal’ spray painted in black.
Avon and Somerset police said no arrests had been made yet in relation to the most recent incident.
Tweeting from its account, The Tyre Extinguishers said: ‘Great work in Bristol where SUVs have been branded.
‘It should be shameful to drive a massive climate-killing, child-killing tank in a city. Keep going.’
In the past the group has taken to deflating tyres on hundreds of SUVs in what they call ‘well-to-do areas across the UK’. The stunts have taken place in London’s Chelsea, Belgravia, Clapham and Notting Hill in the past.
Outside of the capital they have also vandalised cars in Brighton, Cambridge and Edinburgh.
The group, which was set up last year, claim that if the Government ‘won’t make it illegal’ to own an SUV, ‘then we must make it impossible’.
After they have deflated the tyres of the SUVs or spray painted them, the group leaves a note addressing the owners, claiming ‘your gas guzzler kills’
The activist group, which began in the UK but has now become a worldwide campaign operating in 18 countries, aims to make it ‘impossible to own an SUV in the world’s urban areas for climate, health and public safety’. Pictured: A Mercedes 4×4 tyres being slashed
Cars that had their tyres deflated or been graffitied include Range Rovers, Mazdas and Volkswagens
The group is now operating across the world, with 43 SUVS having tanks disarmed earlier this week
Cars that had their tyres deflated or been graffitied include Range Rovers, Mazdas and Volkswagens.
In night of action in November of last year, the group claimed have deflated 900 SUVs across several countries.
READ MORE HERE: The ‘Tyre Extinguisher’ mob working its way down the UK lashing wheels on thousands of 4x4s from Scotland to Bristol and London
The group has even targeted electric 4x4s in the past. William Lowe, from Cambridge, owns a Land Rover e-SUV had his car vandalised in an attack.
He previously told MailOnline: ‘I was just leaving the house this morning ironically to attend a sustainability and waste reduction meeting when I noticed the tyres on my electric 4×4 had been deflated and I found their leaflet on my windscreen.
‘I was lucky enough that I had the means to reinflate the tyre at my house, so it was only a mild inconvenience which set me back on my day but nevertheless it was very frustrating.
‘We use it for its intended purpose as we have to visit a farm at least twice a week, which would otherwise be impossible for a normal car.
‘This is by far the car with the lowest carbon footprint. We were very conscious about that. We’ve been responsible and went to great lengths to research the environmental impact – it’s not like I just purchased the cheapest option.
‘It definitely seemed like the group are using a blunt tool to tackle what is actually a complex problem.’
The action includes a combination of deflating tyres and spray painting slogans such as ‘this machine kills kids’ on expensive vehicles
The Tyre Extinguishers operate in 18 countries
The eco-activist group started in the UK but now carries out action in 18 countries world-wide:
- UK
- USA
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- France
- Spain
- Germany
- Denmark
- Norway
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- The Netherlands
- Austria
- New Zealand
- Italy
- Ireland
- Portugal
While he agreed that environmental problems, he said this was not the way to go about it.
Iren Brown from Brighton, last year had to cancel a hospital appointment after her and her husband Nick woke up to find all four tyres on the family’s part-electric Toyota Rav 4 had been deflated by activists.
Mrs Brown, 43, said: ‘The Toyota is a hybrid electric car which we bought because we were being mindful of the environmental impact our previous diesel car was having.
‘But these activists have not taken that into consideration. I’m so angry because everyone is behind their cause, but their tactics are indiscriminate and scattershot.’
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police told MailOnline: ‘Officers from our Neighbourhood Policing Team are investigating after we received 11 reports of criminal damage to cars in the Clifton area of Bristol.
‘We believe the incidents are linked to an environment protest group, which has spray painted words onto the SUV.
‘Officers will be proactively engaging with victims of these crimes and carrying out increased patrols of the affected areas.
‘We are appealing for anyone who is a victim of this kind of crime to report it to us so we can establish a pattern and progress our investigation.
‘If you live in the Clifton area and have CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage, please review this for anyone acting suspiciously.
‘If you have any information which you think would be helpful, contact 101 and quote reference 5223131125.’
The Tyre Extinguisher’s have been contacted for a statement.
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