Overnight, marking six months since the launch of the campaign, which encourages people to secretly deflate SUV tyres, campaigners took action in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Canada. “Courageous citizens around the world last night … deflated tires on at least 600 SUVs, exactly two months before the start of the Cop27 United Nations Climate Summit in Egypt,” the tire fire extinguishers said. The group said the total is likely to rise, with more reports of actions expected. “The movement has now deflated tires on around 9,000 SUVs in cities around the world since March, hitting steadily and looks set to surpass its goal of deflating 10,000 SUVs by Christmas,” the statement added. The group said it aims to “make it impossible to own an SUV in the world’s urban areas”, condemning the vehicles as “unnecessary ‘luxury emissions’, flaunted by the rich, a climate disaster, causing air pollution and causing the our roads more dangerous”. He points to research published in 2019 by the International Energy Agency, which found that SUVs were the second largest cause of the global increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade. But the group also opposes electric SUVs “on the grounds that they are still unsafe in urban areas.” The campaign is coordinated through a website that hosts instructions on how to use flashlights or other pulses to open the valves on SUV tires, slowly deflating them. They are calling on activists to carry out night-time sabotage raids and leave a leaflet on the windscreen of every vehicle explaining to the owner why they have been targeted. SUV owners targeted by the campaign include John Browne, the former chief executive of BP, and EastEnders actress Jessie Wallace, who posted a photo of the letter left to her by campaigners on Instagram, commenting: ‘These potholes must to be closed.” A Metropolitan police source said the force could not confirm claims by Tire Extinguishers that operations had been launched in London. Searches within the force had turned up no documents about the group, he said. There was a question of whether deflating a car tire without destroying it was even a crime. The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The move to covert action marks a shift away from the stance of Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and other recent climate campaigns, which call members to account for any wrongdoing, with arrests and subsequent prosecutions an integral part their protest strategy. “The climate movement has not made enough use of covert tactics so far,” said a spokesman for Tire Extinguishers. “Ultimately we want to show people that sabotage to save lives is legal and that we need a lot more. If polluters don’t stop polluting because we politely ask, protest, take contractual direct action – then what’s left?’
