Environmental activists deflating SUV tyres worldwide, including New Zealand

An environmental activist group known as The Tyre Extinguishers has been causing havoc amongst innocent motorists all over the world by deflating their tyres in an act of protest.

The group’s most recent attack was over the weekend in Wellington where a motorist discovered his vehicle had its tyres deflated and a note left on his windscreen saying, ”Attention – your gas guzzlers kill”.

They weren’t the sole target either. The motorist said ten cars had their tyres deflated along Oriental Parade. However, the group themselves said around 15 cars were targeted.

The group’s purpose is to target SUVs in urban areas as they believe these vehicles are negatively impacting the climate, public health, and the public’s safety. 

Its tactic is to cause an inconvenience to owners by letting air out of the tyre’s valve stem, ultimately deflating it without causing damage.

A leaflet is then left on their windscreen outlining, “We have deflated one or more of your tires,”

“You’ll be angry, but don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s your car,” it adds.

Similar actions have also taken place across the globe recently including Ontario, Canada where there were 30 reports of tyres having been deflated.

The same has occurred across the UK where the group supposedly originated from. Motorists in the US are also under siege with SUVs being targeted in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Could this be a factor that will push people away from buying SUVs? We doubt it, but a recent article from The Telegraph begged the question to readers, ”If I buy an SUV will it be vandalised by climate protesters?” showing some concern.