A woman allegedly climbed up to traffic lights and cut the sensor wires because she believed they posed an ‘imminent threat to life’

A woman was recently filmed climbing up to traffic lights to cut sensor wires because she and a group of others believe these devices are an imminent threat to life. This incident is part of a growing trend where individuals calling themselves the Ilfracombe Blade Runners are actively vandalizing traffic light sensors across England. 

As reported by BroBible, the woman can be seen in a video that has been circulated online, which has already been viewed tens of thousands of times. The footage shows her tampering with the equipment connected to a traffic signal in the town of Ilfracombe. 

This content was shared by the Facebook account Citizens Onpatrol, which later posted additional recordings of two individuals being taken into custody. One of the videos shows the woman leaving the Barnstaple Police Station after she was granted bail. These are not just teenagers looking for trouble, as the individuals involved reportedly were a woman in her 60s and a man in his 70s.

The group claims the light sensors are electronic assault weapons

The group claims these traffic light sensors are actually phased array electronic assault weapons used for mass surveillance. They allege that this technology can cause cancer, dementia, and even unexpected death. Despite these claims being completely disconnected from the actual purpose of the hardware, the group remains committed to their mission. 

In a recent social media post, Citizens Onpatrol shared another video of someone disabling a sensor. The caption for that post stated, “The illegal AI hardware will be removed or disabled until the establishment bends to our will.” The post also urged others to get involved: “You need to lose the fear and step up, start disabling or removing the phased array weapons on top of the traffic lights.”

The scale of this vandalism is actually quite significant, as London Daily News reports. Data from the Cambridgeshire County Council indicates that about 200 sensor units have been vandalized at roughly 50 sites across the county. Most of these incidents occurred in Cambridge, though other locations have been affected as well. 

The council noted that in just one week, they recorded vandalism at 20 different junctions and crossings. Similar activity has been reported in Sleaford, where the Lincolnshire County Council said two sets of traffic lights were targeted. In that instance, the damaged equipment included 10 sensors meant to manage traffic flow and assist pedestrians at crossings.