‘Blade runners’ fight back against controversial ULEZ scheme in London

Self-proclaimed 'freedom fighters' believe that London mayor Sadiq Khan's extension of the scheme, which aims to improve air quality in the city, is an attack on their civil rights.

‘Blade runners’ fight back against controversial ULEZ scheme in London

A highly controversial scheme aimed at reducing car use in central London was expanded to cover the entire city at the end of August.

While some welcomed the extension of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which aims to curb congestion and air pollution by making drivers of certain vehicles pay a daily fee, extreme opposition is gathering steam.

Among the many peaceful protestors, some have begun tearing down, vandalising and even stealing the cameras that make sure motorists are abiding by the rules.

They style themselves "Blade Runners" after the classic dystopian film, with hardline activists driven by conspiracy theories and rampant misinformation.

Using the pseudonym Ben MacMillan, one saboteur told The Daily Express newspaper what makes these attacks unusual is that they aren't undertaken by young people or gangs of activists.

"It's mostly people in their 40s and pensioners," he told the paper. "I get old ladies asking me how to destroy the cameras. They're going around London with garden shears. These are normal people who work normal jobs, have businesses, families."

Despite the illegality of the acts, most of the so-called Blade Runners have managed to avoid being caught by authorities, with only a tiny number charged so far.

At the beginning of September, it was estimated that around one in four ULEZ cameras had been damaged or removed – a statistic reflecting the magnitude of opposition to the scheme.

A police officer watches vehicles arriving with anti-ULEZ and Sadiq Khan protest signs attached to their back doors

The vandalism has prompted London Mayor Sadiq Khan to roll out a fleet of enforcement vehicles to catch those flouting the rules.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, these teams have been targeted too, with the tyres of some vehicles slashed.

ULEZ, launched in April 2019, was controversial from the off.

The scheme means drivers of petrol cars manufactured before 2006 and diesel vehicles made before 2015 have to pay £12.50 (about €14.80) to drive anywhere within the Greater London area of around 9 million people.

Source: euronews