Several vehicles belonging to Ineos Grenadiers have been targeted by environmental campaigners at the UCI WorldTour team’s service course base in Belgium.
Het Nieuwsblad reports that six vehicles were damaged in the incident on Sunday in Deinze, East Flanders, either being covered in graffiti or wrapped in tinfoil.
Pictures shared on Twitter by New Flanders Alliance party MP Annick De Ridder showed vehicles daubed with slogans including, on a team bus, “Ineos will fall” – the name of an environmental group campaigning against a major plant named Project One planned in the Port of Antwerp by the petrochemicals giant that sponsors the team.
De Ridder said in her tweet: “This has nothing to do with democratic civilian protest any more, but is descending into pure eco-terrorism,” and called for an end to such actions.
The province’s public prosecutor has confirmed that four adult suspects have been arrested and that tinfoil and cans of spray paint were found at the scene, as well as a flag also bearing the words “Ineos will fall.”
According to Het Nieuwsblad, it is not clear what will happen to the suspects.
The UK’s largest privately-owned company, controlled by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, took over sponsorship of the team from the broadcaster Sky in May last year.
The business – last year named Scotland’s biggest polluter – has been accused of using its sponsorship of cycling and sailing, where it is backing Sir Ben Ainslie’s Americas Cup challenge, as a form of ‘greenwashing’, something Ratcliffe has denied.
In the team’s first race in its new colours at last year’s Tour de Yorkshire, it was targeted by anti-fracking campaigners, many wearing masks with Ratcliffe’s face on them, who called among other things for an end to sports sponsorship by companies involved in fossil fuels.
We have approached Ineos Grenadiers for a comment on yesterday’s incident in Belgium.
A part that all media is failing to pick up on, he coaches for a living and also made a name for himself as a WorldTour data/performance analyst...
Thanks Andy. Best races of the year. How do you think young Tom will do?
An ambling badger.
This does seem to be something that Social Services should be looking into when she gets out....
The state of Victoria is well known for its overzealous policing. The joke around the country is instead of the slogan "Victoria - the garden state...
well it only sounds wrong because the result was a temporary cycle lane was removed, but its not the purpose of a scrutinee commitee to overturn...
Not at all, plenty of users across the entire Versus EVo range (not just the adaptive) reporting cracked base.
Or get 80+% of the performance at 20% of the price at Aldi! Merino wool below artificial fibre windproof outer perfect over the Trough of Bowl and...
I talked to someone a couple of years ago who was riding a Mason Bokeh Ti (which is the bike if really like, but edging towards the alu version for...
I agree! Carradice SQR just the job. Big saddlebags are great, except they're not made of sensible nylon.