From the article: *Large SUVs were particularly affected. According to the police, notes were attached to the cars indicating that they were harmful to the climate. The tyres were not punctured, but merely deflated. The cars were parked in the area between the S-Bahn line and Elbchaussee around Kanzleistraße. *
Personally, I like this protest way more than glueing themselves to the streets, causing traffic jams where cars burn gasoline for hours and ambulances / firefighters / police gets stuck, putting innocent life in danger.
The article is in German. Warning: this link leads to google translate.
Setting aside the general disdain these communities have for people who drive large vehicles…
I don’t think vandalization of personal property is going to win anyone over to support your cause. Protests need to be disruptive to be effective, yes, but I would wager this either alienates people trying to do better, or further radicalizes people actively working against green energy measures.
The attitude is odd.
For example I’d love to buy an electric car but they’re just far too expensive for me to be able to afford. I need something, so I get a cheap and 2nd hand car. Inevitably that is an ICE because even second-hand electrics are hugely expensive. Yet somehow I’m the one targeted?
Why are they not targeting the people who are actually the problem rather than irritating the general public who broadly agree with them in principle who but lack the ability to really do anything effective.
The consumer is a large part of the problem, though. People want these types of cars and not because they are better at what they are supposed to do.
Regardless of that I don’t think this is a good way to protest.
I think the goal is to target people with huge, luxury cars. Anything else doesn’t make sense at all.
Will they say they’re targeting SUVs
My problem with that is if you go and look up SUVs online you’ll find that everything from actual suvs right down to estate cars are considered to be SUVs these days.
What kind of disruptive protest that doesn’t alienate people would you suggest instead?
When they blocked roads, people were pissed.
When they blocked an airport, people were pissed.
When they planted trees on a golf course, people were pissed.
I’m not totally sure to be honest. I don’t have a good solution. People need to be pissed for protests to work. But let’s say you convince someone to sell their SUV and get a smaller car That SUV already exists. Probably will still it to afford the next thing, right? Someone is still driving the thing. There’s a carbon cost to The replacement car. My understanding is it’s usually best to drive your vehicle for as long as possible (buying an electric car when your current car is fine is worse than just waiting until your current car breaks down, then eventually replacing it). Targeting your protests or energy toward policy change for future vehicle production might be more effective? Again, I don’t know.
The golf course one is interrupting a leisure activity, rather than stopping someone’s ability to go to work and provide for their family.
But if people came out to go to work and their car has the air let out of the tires, it’s going to feel more personally malicious I think, which seems like it could alienate people. Being stuck in traffic because of a protest, well, at least you’re stuck as a group?
It is a fine line, to be sure, I’m just not sure where to draw it.
They are not trying to win these idiots over they are stopping them from driving their useless vehicles. What other plans do you suggest?
Win people over, probably not. However, it might discourage people from driving/buying big cars.