A British-founded left-wing organization is now claiming cells in eighteen nations with the goal of slashing tires to attempt to reduce carbon emissions. The group calls itself the Tyre Extinguishers and has been responsible for a number of instances of property damage in the United States and beyond.
The immobilization of vehicles has been described in different sources as both tire slashing and tire deflation.
The organization most recently launched a series of tire slashings in Portugal’s capital Lisbon. The group called drivers of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) as “#CarShaggers.”
The Tyre Extinguishers wrote that the destruction of tires in Portugal made drivers “upset that they can’t drive their massive tanks around Lisbon.”
The group also described the efforts as “fun” and its “first action” in the Portuguese capital. Enigmatically, the group then asked, “where’s next?”
The organization placed a booklet on at least one of the damaged vehicles.
According to the Tyre Extinguishers’ tract, the drivers of the vehicles should not “take it personally.” “It’s not you, it’s your car,” it read.
The group claimed responsibility for the damage because “driving around in urban areas in your massive vehicle has huge consequences for others.”
The group claimed that it was made up of “people from all walks of life with one aim: To make it impossible to own a huge polluting 4×4 in the world’s urban area.”
Its members described themselves as “defending ourselves against climate change, air pollution and unsafe drivers.”
A group of Far-Left Climate activists have resorted to slashing tires on SUV’s in order to ‘combat climate change.’
The group known as Tyre Extinguishers, which claims to be active in 18 countries including the U.S. and UK is responsible for deflating the tires on over 10,000… pic.twitter.com/fdAjHQItmJ
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) June 4, 2023
Earlier this year, individuals claiming to be members of the group deflated the tires of 43 cars in Boston.
In those incidents, the group left a letter on the vehicles, stating that the owners “will have no difficulty getting around without your gas guzzler, with walking, cycling or public transit.” The group also posted pictures of deflating the tires and the notes left on cars on social media.
The group claims that it has individual units in a “leaderless, autonomous movement of groups that act independently.” Similar or related groups have now emerged in Scotland, France and Italy.
So far, the organization has deflated the tires of more than 10,000 SUVs worldwide, including one night last year in which 900 vehicles were immobilized.
