COP26: Climate activists apologise for deflating tyres of Glasgow mum's car

Activists from the group ‘Tyred of SUVs’ have apologised for targeting cars that were not SUVs, after they deflated the tyres of roughly 60 cars in the West End of Glasgow yesterday.

Solicitor Lucy Conn, 31, who lives on Parkgrove Terrace in the West End of the city, discovered that the tyres of her two-wheel drive had been deflated yesterday as she was heading out to take her three-year-old son to nursery, along with her 10-month-old baby.

Her car, which has a 1.6 litre engine, and her neighbours car, which has a 1.2 litre engine, were both targeted.

‘Tyred of SUVs’, a group that is allegedly made up of breakaway activists from Glasgow Calls Out Polluters, said it apologised if it had accidentally targeted smaller cars.

Activists deflated the tyres of Lucy Conn's car, and left a flyer on the bonnet explaining their action.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Our intention was to target SUVs only. If Ms Conn’s car was targeted by our group, we apologise.

“The mistake may have been due to the fact that more and more non-SUVs are being designed to look like SUVs — apparently, climate destruction is fashionable".

They also “strongly denied” damaging the tyres, and said: “deflation via the valve is by far the quickest and easiest way to deflate a tyre, and leaves the tyre intact.”

They added: “If the 1 per cent won’t take responsibility for the climate destruction they wreak, we’ll make them.”

The group left flyers on the bonnets of targeted cars, which read: “Attention climate violation. Your SUV contributes to the second biggest cause of carbon emissions rise in the last decade. This is why we have disarmed your car by deflating one or more of its tyres”.

The flyers asked the drivers of the deflated cars to take action, and urged them to “go small” or “go public transport”.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We are aware of these incidents and there will be increased patrols in the area to provide reassurance to local residents.”

This incident comes after 16 climate activists from Glasgow Calls Out Polluters were arrested by police, after they tried to prevent a dinner event in Maryhill attended by business leaders by blocking the roads and glueing themselves to the venue.

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