A deflating "attack"

(Photo via Helsingin Sanomat) If you let the air out of someones tyres, is that an "attack"? Very annoying certainly, childish perhaps - but, really, an "attack"? Helsingin Sanomat seems to think so:

"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."

Just to add to the scary and menacing nature of the "attacks", the "attackers" have left the following terribly threatening message on targetted 4x4s:

"Do not take this personally, it is only your car that we do not like".

The Helsinki police take the emminently sensible line of telling people to stop being juvenile and anti-social whilst resolutely refraining from blowing it out of proportion:

"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."

Perhaps 4x4 owners should just consider chucking a foot-pump in the boot and next time consider getting a car that isn't quite as dangerous to cyclists, pedestrians and other drivers next time, even if environmentally some of them aren't so different from other large cars.