A climate activist group going by the name “The Tyre Extinguishers” has claimed responsibility for action in Boston, Massachusetts, that saw the tires on 43 SUVs deflated on the evening of Wednesday, April 19.
The group claimed that the vehicles has been “disarmed” in Beacon Hill, one of Boston’s wealthiest neighborhoods. It claimed that the action was taken to “render the large greenhouse gas emitting vehicles unusable,” and left flyers on the vehicles it targeted.
According to its website, the Tyre Extinguishers is made up of climate activists who believe that “SUVs are a dangerous and unnecessary environmental atrocity, especially in city environments where there are sustainable transport options available to everyone.” Ultimately, they want large SUVs to be banned and for money to be invested in public transport.
More: Climate Activists Deflate Hundreds Of SUV Tires To Make Vehicles ‘Impossible To Own’
Intriguingly, in this case, the group claims to have targeted only internal combustion vehicles, not EVs, something that it has not always done. In the past, the group has deflated the tires of some large electric SUVs as well, reasoning that the vehicles are still wasteful and dangerous.
In addition, it claimed not to have targeted vehicles with handicap signage. However, one victim claimed that they missed a medical appointment as a result of their deflated tire, according to Boston 25 News.
Boston Police released a report saying that they were aware of 19 vehicles that had been vandalized overnight and were investigating. No suspect description has been provided by police.
The Tyre Extinguishers is an international group with cells claimed to be operating in Europe and North America. It claims to have no central authority and allows anyone to join, providing people with tutorials on how to flatten tires easily.
The group previously took responsibility for deflating the tires of 900 SUVs in a single evening across 18 countries worldwide. That event, which took place in December 2022, was described as the “biggest coordinated global action against high-carbon vehicles in history.”