By Gunnar Schupelius
Manipulated valves and fine punctures in the tires: Attacks on parked vehicles are sneaky and dangerous and yet cause little outrage, says Gunnar Schupelius.
In Berlin, private cars parked on the side of the road are constantly being attacked. The perpetrators ensure that the air slowly escapes from the tires.
Then they leave behind a letter of confession that cannot be surpassed in terms of cynicism and contempt: “Attention – your gas guzzler is deadly. We have deflated one or more of your tires. You will be angry, but don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s your car.”
Normally, around 36 reports are filed per month in Berlin for deflation of car tires. Last weekend there were 88. The perpetrators describe themselves as members of the “Tyre Extinguishers” group, which was founded in England and recruits supporters across Europe.
On their homepage they write that the “polite protest” against climate-damaging cars had no effect. Now it is “time for action”. They explain how to recognize SUVs, i.e. vehicles that supposedly consume a lot of energy. Then there are instructions on how to ensure that the air slowly escapes from the tires while you can escape yourself.
In most media reporting, the tone of the perpetrators is often adopted, especially the reference to the SUVs. For example, the daily newspaper “taz” wrote with a wink (September 9): “At the weekend, climate activists went around and let off steam – from the tires of off-road vehicles.”
But it’s not that funny. Because the damage costs the car owners dearly. The foreman of a car repair shop, which deals with the victims of the tire attacks almost every day, reports that the air is not only released through the valve. In the water bath he recognized tiny holes in the rubber that had been pierced with fine needles. So he had to put on completely new tires (unit price from 200 euros).
But even if the air escapes through the manipulated valve and the tires can be saved, a deadly danger remains: the driver sets off because he did not notice the manipulation or the needle punctures. The air escapes while driving, which can result in a fatal accident.
This is what happened in mid-February on the A9 near Leipzig. There a car skidded due to flat tires. According to police, the tires had been tampered with by Tire Extinguishers activists. It was only by chance that the accident ended lightly.
The self-proclaimed fighters against climate change are becoming radicalized. They are increasingly bringing militant supporters into the race.
It started with the protest on the streets (“Fridays for Future”), then the blockades and coercion began (“Last Generation”) and now the serious damage to property is spreading, putting Berlin’s drivers in acute danger to their lives.
All of this is now normal in Berlin. According to the Marxist method, “the rich” are the target – or those who are declared to be so.
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