A controversial movement has made its presence known in Devon after footage from Ilfracombe appears to show people associated with an online group deliberately causing damage to a traffic light on the High Street.
The group, which calls itself the Blade Runners, claims the sensors fitted to traffic lights are far more than simple pieces of traffic-management equipment.
They describe the devices as “phased array electronic assault weapons” and claim the technology can cause a range of serious health problems, including heart attacks, brain cancer, anxiety and even sudden death.
The group has gained attention following footage shared online which appears to show a woman interfering with equipment attached to a traffic light in Ilfracombe.
The video, which has been viewed more than 120,000 times, shows the woman using a tool to cut wires connecting the equipment to the traffic-light system, while a man stands below her.
The footage was shared by the Facebook account Citizens Onpatrol, which later posted further videos allegedly showing the two people being arrested and the woman leaving Barnstaple Police Station after being released on bail.
Devon and Cornwall Police said on September 4 that a local woman in her 60s and a man in their 70s had been arrested following “thousands of pounds” worth of damage to traffic-light systems in Ilfracombe.
Both were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and causing danger to road users and have since been released on bail while further enquiries are carried out.
Police said the Ilfracombe damage follows a number of incidents across the UK in which traffic-light systems have been deliberately damaged, with footage of some incidents subsequently posted on social media.
In a letter posted online and attributed to the “Ilfracombe Blade Runners”, the group claims the sensors fitted to pedestrian crossings in the town are an “imminent threat to life”.
In posts shared online, the Blade Runners describe the "electronic assault weapons” as “illegal battlefield derived technology” and allege that manufacturers and authorities have misled the public about its purpose and safety.
The group also disputes the suggestion that the equipment is simply used to detect pedestrians or assist with traffic flow.
According to the Blade Runners, the devices can "kill humans when focusing on a target".
However, the medical and technological claims made by the group have not been independently established and remain allegations made by the Blade Runners.
The letter also claims that police will not detain or arrest a Blade Runner because officers have been “instructed to stand down and leave the Blade Runners to carry out the legal, lawful, lifesaving work.”
The group also says it is “not woke” but “fully awake”, adding that its members will never back down.
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