In an act of retaliation for a devastating crash in Wimbledon that claimed the lives of two eight-year-old girls, at least 60 vehicles at a Land Rover dealership in Exeter have had their tyres destroyed. The group behind this action, known as the “Tyre Extinguishers,” shared a video online showing someone using a drill at the Devon garage.
The tragic incident in Wimbledon occurred when a Land Rover crashed into The Study Prep school, resulting in the deaths of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, as well as injuries to several others. A 46-year-old woman from Wimbledon was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on bail.
The Tyre Extinguishers issued a statement explaining their motive, saying that SUVs are eight times more likely to be involved in crashes that result in children’s deaths compared to smaller cars. They view this act of retaliation as a peaceful demonstration to draw attention to the presence of what they consider to be grossly-inappropriate private vehicles in urban areas.
The group firmly believes that their action is necessary to escalate efforts to prevent further tragedies and address the worsening climate crisis. Their ultimate goal is to make it impossible to own an SUV in urban areas, as they consider these vehicles both a climate disaster and a danger to society.
Authorities are investigating the criminal damage, and the dealership, Jaguar Exeter, owned by Vertu Motors, has denounced the trespass and damage as unacceptable.