Climate activists are claiming to have deflated the tires of 43 SUVs on Beacon Hill overnight.
The activists left leaflets on the cars that urged the owners to switch to public transportation, biking, or electric vehicles. No electric cars were targeted, according to a blog post by Tyre Extinguishers, which claimed responsibility for the vandalism.
Police said they responded to a report of vandalism at 144 Mount Vernon St. shortly before 7 a.m., according to a department spokesman. The spokesman confirmed that several vehicles were vandalized but did not provide additional information.
The group said it targeted only “large, luxury, gas powered SUVs.”
“The activists took this action in Beacon Hill as it is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Boston to own a house,” the post read. “It is not an exaggeration to say that the richest individuals in the world are causing the current and future deaths of the less fortunate and less developed nations and people.”
On its website, Tyre Extinguishersdescribes itself as a decentralized network of activists who seek to inconvenience the owners of large cars in hopes of convincing them to change their transportation habits.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.
Daniel Kool can be reached at daniel.kool@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @dekool01.
