protest action
Group of climate activists let air out of SUV tires across Europe
The group, which calls itself Tire Extinguishers, has taken to Twitter to share the flat SUV tires they leave behind
© Screenshot Twitter @T_Extinguishers
In a Europe-wide protest, a group of climate activists deflated the tires of over 900 SUVs overnight. The group was also active in several cities in Germany.
This article first appeared on RTL.de.
They call themselves Tire Extinguishers – and that’s exactly their trick: they let the air out of SUV tires in big cities so that the cars are no longer ready to drive. Are these the new climate stickers? And how legal is it all?
“You will be angry, but don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s your car.” These are the first sentences of the climate group Tire Extinguishers’ letter of responsibility. The activists left the letters on the SUVs in Hanover, where they let the air out of the tires on Tuesday night (November 29). At least seven off-road vehicles were the target of the protest in Hanover, the police confirmed in the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung (HAZ), which first reported on the incident. The protest was part of a large-scale, Europe-wide campaign, the activists write on a website: “Last night we deflated the tires of almost 900 polluting SUVs in eight countries.” According to their own statements, this is the largest global action against vehicles of this type – and more are to follow.
Berlin: different vehicle types affected
The Tire Extinguishers were also active in Berlin during the night from Monday to Tuesday. In an interview with RTL, Martin Halweg from the Berlin police press office said that isolated cases were also found in the capital: cars with deflated air and letters of confession from the climate action group could be found throughout the city. According to the police, the vehicles are very different types of vehicles.
Climate protectors criticize SUVs
The environmentalists’ action is directed against SUVs because the vehicles are a disaster for the climate. “According to the UN, millions of people are already dying as a result of climate change,” writes the climate group. And further: “SUVs are the second largest cause of the global increase in carbon dioxide emissions in the last decade – more than the entire aviation industry.”
But how legal or illegal is it to deflate car tires? According to the Hanover police, there is always the initial suspicion of property damage. If the tires are totally flat, one could speak of an offence, according to the investigators. If, on the other hand, there is only a little air missing in the tires, the action is not punishable. One cannot speak of a dangerous intervention in road traffic. Because the environmental activists pointed out their actions in their letter of confession.
Majority has no understanding of climate activists’ forms of protest
Actions like that of the Tire Extinguishers are polarizing. The blockade of BER Airport by climate activists from the Last Generation group also caused heated spirits last week. According to the current RTL/n-tv trend barometer, 82 percent of those questioned show no understanding for this form of protest. Even among the supporters of the Greens, a majority of 59 percent has no understanding for the forms of protest of the climate activists.
43 percent of those surveyed also see the danger that the protests could lead to a violent fight against people in the future. 55 percent do not share this fear.
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Information on the Forsa survey
The data was collected by the market and opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of RTL and n-tv between November 25 and 28, 2022.
Database: 1004 respondents
Statistical error tolerance: +/- 3 percentage points.
Forsa surveys commissioned by RTL Germany