In a mass act of civil disobedience, activists blocked “all” cameras in Sutton borough used to enforce Sadiq Khan’s climate car tax.
The backlash continues over Sadiq Khan’s expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which previously covered a relatively narrow area of central London to tackle congestion, but will now be expanded across the capital. . Those who don’t comply with the Mayor’s climate standards will be hit with a basic charge of £12.50 a day for driving anywhere in the city, disproportionately impacting working-class commuters.
Around 400 activists staged a protest in Sutton Borough on Sunday afternoon. Sutton borough has not previously been affected by green schemes, and the borough’s local council and resident petition opposed the expansion of the ULEZ into the area.
Activists dispersed throughout the district and used signs to block number plate cameras used for tax enforcement, but this combined with actions by vigilante groups (nicknamed “Blade Runners”) to destroy cameras at ULEZ. , said it meant “all cameras.” ” was of no use to city officials. There is also a growing trend called “ULEZ fishing,” in which citizens use fishing rods to attach stickers to camera lenses around town.
in interview From Sunday’s protests telegraph paperKingsley Hamilton, a bus driver and member of the campaign group Action Against Injustice Urez, said: “We are aware of 107 cameras, many of which have been deactivated.” Masu.
“At least 80 cameras were monitored today, so today all cameras in the borough have been shut down or covered with placards. Drivers are now able to do normal things, such as visiting a hospitalized relative, without being fined.”
Hamilton’s wife, who also attended the protest, said: “We can’t afford a new car and if my son needs to go to the hospital, I’m not going to wait for an ambulance. I’m going to drive. ” he added. myself. “
Former Conservative Party leader supports Sadiq Khan’s public destruction of climate change cameras https://t.co/mr1Ek5yD2P
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 31, 2023
In response to widespread civil disobedience, the mayor’s office was forced to deploy surveillance vehicles to enforce the environmental tax. Khan also reportedly He allegedly hired a “rogue squad” of masked men to roam the streets and forcibly and violently prevented members of the public from disabling spy cameras.
Mr Khan’s campaign to convince the public of the benefits of a climate change tax took a serious hit last week after the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that ads running on radio and in newspapers were misleading the public about the purported benefits of ULEZ. I faced a setback.
The watchdog said the Khan government’s claims, such as “one of the most polluted places in London is inside a car” and “most deaths from air pollution occur in outer London”, were “misleading”. ” and found it “unfounded,” ULEZ said, “nitrogen dioxide levels will be almost halved.”
In response to this determination, Conservative MP Susan Hall, Mr Khan’s main rival in the London mayoral election scheduled for May, said: Said Guido Fawkes, Westminster Blog: “It is disgraceful that Sadiq Khan has consistently misled Londoners about his ULEZ expansion. It is a tax that will have a negligible impact on air quality. It is nothing but extortion.
“We know that his staff relies on scientists to change research results, and that he is taking hundreds of millions from the poorest Londoners. Otherwise, we intend to eliminate the ULEZ extension.”
Sadiq Khan presses scientists to back anti-car agenda as research shows minimal impact on pollution: reporthttps://t.co/cGX7CRkAMv
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 22, 2023
