They used the death of two young girls in a crash at a school as justification for damaging tyres on at least 60 vehicles at a dealership.
But the climate vigilante group which targeted Jaguar Exeter in Devon on Sunday night vow to continue their ruthless vandalism, with even electric and hybrid sports utility vehicles (SUVs) described as ‘fair game’.
For more than a year now, the ‘Tyre Extinguishers’ have snuck out into the dead of night in affluent areas of the country and deflated the tyres of ‘gas-guzzling’ 4x4s including Range Rovers, Mazdas and Volkswagens.
In pursuit of their goal of ‘making it impossible to own an SUV in the world’s urban areas’, they hit vehicle owners in major British cities including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol, but have also taken their activism around the globe, striking in France, Germany and the United States.
Their most recent stunt represented a significant escalation for the eco-group, however, by using a drill to inflict tangible damage on the tyres, rather than merely deflating them.
Their calling card left at the scene of their most recent attack was a leaflet featuring an image of the Land Rover which crashed through a fence and into The Study Prep School in Wimbledon on July 6, killing eight-year-old pupils Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau. Alongside the image was a quote from the boss of Citroen, describing SUV drivers as ‘terrorists’
The group demands to see bans on SUVs in urban areas, pollution levies to tax SUVs out of existence, and massive investment in free, comprehensive public transport.
SUVs feature elements of standard cars but are larger and have off-road capabilities such as high ground clearance.
Petrol and diesel-powered models are generally less fuel efficient than cars.
Their calling card left at the scene of their most recent attack was a leaflet featuring an image of the Land Rover which crashed through a fence and into The Study Prep School in Wimbledon on July 6, killing eight-year-old pupils Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau.
Alongside the image was a quote from the boss of Citroen, describing SUV drivers as ‘terrorists’.
Vincent Cobee claimed earlier this year that the rise of electric cars will ‘kill off’ huge SUVs, because they’re too heavy when you add a battery.
He added: ‘If you live in a big city, five years ago if you drop off your kids with a big SUV you’re a man. Now, if you do this, you’re a ‘terrorist’.’
A source at Land Rover told the Mail last night it was ‘distasteful’ to link the tragedy to its vehicles.
Precisely who is behind the shadowy group, which claims to be leaderless, remains unclear.
But their decision to take direct action that affects the lives of ordinary members of the public mimics the tactics of Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Insulate Britain, whose protests have gridlocked cities and roads in recent years.
While the Tyre Extinguishers deny they are affiliated to any other organisation, when it set up a Twitter account last summer, the very first group it followed was XR.
Last year, the group created a bizarre ‘European cup competition’ – with protesters setting up a ‘leader board’ of attacks, with activists in Paris claiming they are challenging Bristol and Brighton for the title of ‘most extinguished city’.
After boasting of ‘disarming’ more than 120 vehicles in just one night, activists in France issued a rallying cry.
They wrote on Twitter: ‘Forget the Champions League, take part in the Extinguishers Cup.
‘Finally a Parisian club that is successful in a European competition!’
Some of the SUVs that have had their tyres let down also include electric and hybrids, as the group considers them both unsafe in urban areas, dramatically stating that ‘a child killed by a massive SUV doesn’t care if it’s electric or not.’
The vigilantes also claim that there are ‘not enough rare earth metals’ to build electric and hybird cars to replace conventional cars with them, and that ‘the danger to other road users still stands’.
Iren Brown from Brighton, had to cancel a hospital appointment after her and her husband Nick woke up to find all four tyres on the family’s part-electric Toyota Rav 4 had been deflated by activists.
Mrs Brown, 43, said last year: ‘The Toyota is a hybrid electric car which we bought because we were being mindful of the environmental impact our previous diesel car was having. But these activists have not taken that into consideration. I’m so angry because everyone is behind their cause but their tactics are indiscriminate and scattershot.’
The mother-of-two, a kitchen designer, added: ‘Nick is quite a serious diabetic and we may have need to access a vehicle in an emergency. Their actions could have been dangerous.’
Globally, the number of SUVs has increased from less than 50 million in 2010 to around 320 million last year – equivalent to the total car fleet of Europe.
Because of their size, on average, SUVs consume around a quarter more energy than medium-sized cars.
A 2019 study by the International Energy Agency found that they rank among the top contributors to energy-related carbon dioxide emissions growth over the past decade – cancelling out the reductions from people switching to electric cars.
Because of their size, they are also said to be more dangerous when involved in an accident.
Vehicles at the Jaguar Exeter dealership on Matford Way, owned by Vertu Motors
SUVs are generally less fuel efficient, and are said to emit 25 per cent more carbon dioxide than a medium-sized car
The vigilantes make no exception for electric or hybrid SUVs, insisting that they still pollute and cause congestion
The campaign group posted video footage of vigilantes appearing to deflate tyres using drills at Jaguar Exeter
The group as so far slashed tyres on thousands of vehicles across the UK, and aims to ‘make it impossible’ to drive an SUV in urban areas
Yesterday, Tyre Extinguishers posted a video online appearing to show a member drilling tyres at the Land Rover dealership in Devon.
It said in a statement: ‘Tyre Extinguishers Takes Responsibility for Land Rover Dealership Tyre Destruction.
‘In response to the tragic incident that occurred on Thursday 6th July, where a Land Rover SUV driver crashed into 15 people killing two innocent girls on the Study Preparatory School grounds. Tyre Extinguishers destroyed all the tyres on at least 60 vehicles at Jaguar Exeter, Matford Way.
‘SUVs are 8 times more likely to kill children in crashes, than smaller cars.
‘The members of Tyre Extinguishers express their deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the two young girls who lost their lives in the heart-wrenching killing. They also wish swift recovery to the other 15 victims.
‘This act of retaliation, is intended as a peaceful and non-violent demonstration to draw attention to the presence of grossly inappropriate private vehicles in our towns and cities.
‘The crash took place on the 6th July has left the community devastated and mourning. Tyre Extinguishers firmly believes that their action is a necessary escalation to try and stop these vehicles from wrecking further lives and continuing to push the worsening climate crisis of the cliff edge.
‘The group hopes that this action will serve as a wake-up call for all stakeholders to unite in their efforts to prevent future tragedies and make our roads safer for everyone.’
A member of Tyre Extinguishers, named only as ‘Joe’ said: ‘Our intention is not to incite violence or harm but rather to catalyse change and ensure a safer environment for everyone.
‘We envision a world with far fewer privately owned vehicles and that every driver takes their responsibility seriously, putting safety first and showing empathy towards fellow road users’.
The activists say they are retaliating on behalf of Selena Lau and Nuria Sajjad, who were both killed when a Land Rover crashed into their school in Wimbledon
This photo shows an activist working under the cover of darkness and with their face obscured
The Tyre Extinguishers have deflated the tyres of more than 2,000 SUVs
Another called ‘Eric’ said: ‘We urge our politicians to legislate for more robust law enforcement and government policy, we have to rein in our car brained culture where people are being killed daily by drivers’.
A spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover UK said: ‘We have been made aware that our Exeter site has been the subject of criminal acts of vandalism. We are supporting the police with its investigation.’
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said the force was ‘aware of criminal damage having occurred’ and ‘inquiries continue’.
The driver of the car involved in the school crash – a 46-year-old woman from Wimbledon – was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
She was bailed pending further inquiries.