Environmental activist group “Asphalt Indians” deflate tyres of SUVs
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A campaign of emptying the tyres of sports utility vehicles in the name of protecting the climate, carried out by a group calling themselves "Indians of the Asphalt Jungle", is believed to have spread to Finland.
In the South-western city of Turku, after the weekend, the air has been let out of the tyres of at least three parked vehicles on Sirkkalankatu and in the Ylioppilaskylä student village.
A note was left on the windscreen of each of the targeted SUVs, saying "Your city SUV kills".
In the same note the target of the act of vandalism was consoled: "Do not take this personally, it is only your car that we do not like".
Last autumn, the group that calls themselves the Indians of the Asphalt Jungle attacked 4x4s in at least nine different cities in Sweden, emptying the tyres of a thousand vehicles.
The attacks started already last summer in the Östermalm district of Stockholm, where 60 city SUVs were targeted by the campaign.
In Germany, 200 similar attacks had come to light by the end of October.
Det. Sgt. Harri Savolainen of the criminal police says that "all four tyres of each of the vehicles have been emptied, but the tyres have not been slashed. That is not how they operate."
Savolainen believes that more similar attacks may still well be reported to the police through the Internet during the course of the week.
The notes left on the windscreens are unsigned and the model of the attack is directly from abroad. The motive of the activists is the prevention of climate change.
According to Det. Sgt. Savolainen, "the police agree that the protection of the climate is important, but it has to be accomplished through legal means."
The police are looking into the case as vandalism, although there is some dispute among legal experts as to whether the temporary inconvenience of having one's tyres deflated actually consitutes wilful damage of property. In any event, there may be claims for compensation in prospect against the perpetrators, for instance for the vehicle-owners' taxi and towtruck costs.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 14.2.2008 - TODAY |
 Environmental activist group “Asphalt Indians” deflate tyres of SUVs |
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