London man removes ‘carbon surveillance’ cameras
An anonymous London man last week uploaded a video to Twitter showing dozens of Ultra-Low Emission Zone cameras he took down in defiance of ‘globalist scum’.
Ultra-Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) are areas in London only accessible to low-emission vehicles. Cars that do not meet the city’s environmental standards are charged £12.50 ($16.00) for entering the ULEZ. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras positioned around the zones read license plates and check them against the vehicles’ make and model in real time. If a vehicle does not meet the environmental threshold, the fine is levied against the car owner.
Nearly half of London’s residents — over four million people — now live in ULEZs, which cover the North and South Circular Roads. By August 29th of this year, the ULEZ will expand to encompass all London boroughs.
The ANPR cameras, according to Transport for London (TfL), also monitor traffic and serve as security cameras for law enforcement to “prevent and detect crime”.
In his video, the man who removed dozens of cameras explained how to do so using a simple technique, saying that while it takes the city half a day to install one camera, it takes him less than a minute to remove it.
“This is our country and we’re taking it back,” he says, calling on others to follow his example.
Removing surveillance cameras appears to be a trend, and the unidentified man has been preceded by others who have also taken down several cameras — though some have been caught. Last month, a 42-year-old man was arrested after taking down cameras, and Metropolitan Police said they have received 96 allegations of criminal damage to cameras.
In March, a video posted to social media showed a Yorkshire man cutting down a surveillance camera installed by the city just a day before.
In addition to ULEZ or general “climate change” surveillance, there have been concerns about smart cities employing technologies that collect data on the environment and residents to supposedly improve city operations. Some see the concept as a violation of privacy by authorities, particularly since these advanced technologies — which are part of the Internet of Things (IoT) — are often inconspicuous and operate incognito.
Those technologies include LED streetlamps, which globalist authorities and proponents of smart cities tout as being environmentally sustainable.
Philips Lighting, one of the world’s leading lighting brands, sells LED lamps for smart cities that are outfitted with WiFi and can connect to the internet. According to Philips’ website, they also appear to conduct surveillance:
Smart cities use the latest innovations in the Internet of Things to become more livable, resilient, economically sound, and sustainable. Smart sensors and other smart devices—from street lights to power meters to traffic signals and beyond—are distributed throughout the urban environment. These devices work together with an open, connected infrastructure to collect data about themselves, the environment, people, and events. This data can be analyzed and shared via software platforms and mobile apps to save energy, streamline operations, and make people feel safer and happier.
A fact sheet by the European Commission (EC) clarifies the concept of smart lighting in cities:
A smart, connected lighting system is part of a local, wireless, decentralized network with local or cloud-based intelligence. Data is collected from sensors on the lampposts, being cameras, daylight, movements or noise detection, and processed to derive optimal energy-efficient and safety-supporting operation of the public lighting.
The additional energy savings of smart connected lighting compared to LED lighting are at least 60% higher, ensuring a sound return on investment.
The EC also confirms that some cities equip their lampposts to conduct “video surveillance for public security”. Many US cities also allow hidden video surveillance in public spaces without notifying the public.
The City of Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) announced in 2020 an initiative to change 46,000 street lights, or 82% of the city’s lights, to LEDs. The city did not respond to a Frontline News inquiry as to whether the lamps include surveillance cameras or whom the city contracted for the project.
The concept is not new; as early as 2014 it was discovered that LED lights containing hidden cameras had been installed at Newark Liberty International Airport and US malls.
“Both G.E. and Acuity executives are looking to smart-city projects, which use a canopy of connected streetlights as the wireless infrastructure to coordinate city services, like easing traffic congestion, sensing when the garbage cans are full or even picking up on suspicious behavior at a pedestrian plaza,” reports the New York Times.
Philips Lighting is owned by Signify, which commentator Chris Sky notes partners with the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a connected lighting provider for smart cities.
