"It's tedious, but the cool thing is to leave a vehicle and hear the pchiiiiit".
For Florient (*the first name has been changed), the sound of a deflated SUV tire sounds like a small victory.
For several weeks, this "tire extinguisher" (the "tire deflators", named after the English group behind actions of civil disobedience) has been flattening the 4 x 4s of the Paris region.
Objective: to make the owners of these polluting cars aware of their impact on the planet.
"We must stop such an ecological aberration", explains this regular of climate demonstrations who points the finger at these "mastodons", "beasts which sometimes consume nearly 20 liters per 100 km".
So, to fight against the proliferation of SUVs in Paris (46% of registrations in the capital before the pandemic), Florient decided to take action, "the strongest and the least violent", according to him.
Because, if the deflation of the tires can be considered as a voluntary damage liable to a fine, it does not however constitute an offence.
Unlike the Anglo-Saxon groups of Tire extinguishers, Florient acts alone in the streets of the capital.
"In one night, I managed to deflate more than a hundred SUVs in the 16th arrondissement," he says.
“If a owner of a large 4 x 4 decides for his next vehicle to buy a city car, it's a victory.
Even if he decides to switch to cycling and taking the train, then it's paradise”.
