On Tuesday evening, so-called "tyre extinguisher" activists were busy in Brussels, targeting 41 SUVs in the city's Flagey neighbourhood. The activists left leaflets on the windshields of the vehicles, stating that their large vehicles "kill" by the significant quantities of greenhouse gasses they emit.
The action sparked debate online, with some defending the eco-activist vigilantes and others denouncing their handiwork as petty vandalism.
"We received a call around midnight. The incident occurred on Rue Henri Marchial in Ixelles and in certain adjoining streets. Our teams have noted that someone has deflated the tires of various vehicles," said police spokesperson Robin De Becker. "We have opened an investigation and we are going to write a report, for each vehicle."
Explanatory notes left on the targeted vehicles explained: "We have deflated one or more of your tires. Don't take it personally. You are not our target, it is your vehicle. We are doing this because driving a vehicle of this size in a city is harmful... You can get around without driving a tank – by walking, bike, or public transport."
A just cause?
This is the first known action by the group in Belgium, yet they announced on Telegram that they would continue their activism within the European capital.
Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are their primary target, with the International Energy Agency reporting that these large personal vehicles are the second-largest source of increased CO2 emissions globally between 2010 and 2018, ahead of even heavy industry or aviation. If consumers continue to buy the vehicles at the current rate until 2040, it would wipe out the emissions savings of 150 million electric vehicles.
The group even targets electric SUVs, stating that the large size of the vehicles remains an issue. They argue that the size and weight of the vehicles are inappropriate for modern cities. The group restrains its action to cities, leaving SUV vehicles in rural areas, or those used for professional activity, untouched.
Understandably, not all people are impressed with the activists' attack on personal property. The protest tactics are likely to cause anger among a large fraction of the commuting public.
"What do they think they can possibly achieve? For car owners to say I'm selling my SUV? Or police to say let's ban SUVs? They just polarise the debate even more. Put pressure on politicians to close streets to cars, increase one-way streets, less parking, etc," one online commentator said. Others defended the action of the vehicle saboteurs, stating that such actions were necessary to dissuade the use of these generally polluting vehicles.
