FINE GAEL TD Neale Richmond has hit out at the “unacceptable thuggery” in south Dublin where a number of people have had their car tyres deflated by a climate action group.
Richmond said he had received calls from constituents who last night had their tyres deflated, and in one instance “slashed”, by a “supposed climate action group in Churchtown.
“This thuggery is unacceptable, I’m hopeful the investigation can put a stop to this carry on but be vigilant,” he added.
Taking to Twitter, Richmond shared an image that is believed to be from the people behind these incidents who belong to a group called ‘The Tyre Extinguishers’.
I’ve had calls from constituents who last night had their tyres slashed in Churchtown by a supposed climate action group.
— Neale Richmond (@nealerichmond) June 14, 2023
It’s now with the local Gardaí.
This thuggery is unacceptable, I’m hopeful the investigation can put a stop to this carry on but be vigilant. pic.twitter.com/NnQUFSGUpu
“Your gas guzzler kills,” reads the leaflet.
It adds: “We have deflated your tyres, but don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s your car.”
The leaflet then goes on to say that “SUVs and 4X4s are a disaster for out climate”.
Speaking to The Journal, Richmond said he was called by “two or three people” who has been impacted.
“One of the guys who called me had all four tyres of his car let down and found out as his wife was putting their kids in the car to bring them to preschool, which is not ideal,” said Richmond.
“He then took a walk up the road and saw 16 different cars affected on their stretch of the road in Churchtown.
“I have subsequently received an email from someone in Ranelagh, who said his car got done last Saturday, with his pregnant wife struggling to get into it.
“It’s five weeks until she’s due, so that could have been a much more difficult situation.”
The leaflet states that the group deflates tyres, but Richmond told The Journal that “one person who rang me said his tyre was slashed”.
“And then in the photos I have been given, they have clearly been deflated, added Richmond.
“But much of a muchness, all four tyres deflated when you’re trying to get into your car to go to work or bring your kids to school.”
Richmond said the act is “out of the Extinction Rebellion playbook”.
He said: “This sort of deflation/slashing technique, we’ve seen it in San Francisco before Christmas, we’ve seen it in Amsterdam, London, and Brussels.
“We see these protests, people gluing themselves to paintings and museums, throwing around powder at the snooker, running onto the Premiership rugby final, the slow marches along motorways.
“All this does is annoy people and turn people against very real and genuine aspirations to address the climate emergency.”
While Richmond said “everyone acknowledges that there is a very serious climate emergency going on”, he added that the answer isn’t “damaging public property and trespassing on people’s homes”.
“In order to deflate these tyres, people had to scale electric fences, they had to climb over walls and vandalise property,” said Richmond.
“How do you get people to agree with you then, and on their leaflet, they basically want to abolish all cars, it’s not realistic.”
As well as targeting SUVs, the leaflet adds that hybrids and electric vehicles are “still polluting, dangerous, and cause congestion”.
It also claims that SUVs are “unnecessary and pure vanity”.
“People are more than entitled to have an SUV,” said Richmond.
“They’re a perfectly legal car, they’re taxed appropriately based on emissions.
“It may be their work vehicle and they simply need it to do their job, or if they have a large family.
“Or my area has a distinct mountain area where SUVs are needed at certain times of the year when it gets very snowy.
Richmond added that “this sort of approach shows no understanding of what people’s needs are”.
“It’s completely unrealistic, and to be honest, it’s blatant thuggery that shouldn’t be acceptable and the gardaí are investigating.”
Richmond told The Journal that he had “spoken directly to the Garda station” and added that “they said they’re going to take this very seriously”.
“They’ll look at getting CCTV and Ring doorbell footage, all of that,” said Richmond.
“At the end of the day, people have trespassed on private property and vandalised and attacked people’s cars, that’s unacceptable, it’s fully illegal and it shouldn’t be condoned.
“It should be called out and condemned, and there should be no whataboutery or buts of whats or ifs.
“This is not how we address the climate emergency, this is how we turn people against the very genuine, real efforts that so many people are making.”
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