Captain Gatso (born in the late 1960s) is a pseudonymous England-based political activist involved in motorists' rights, specifically relating to speed limit enforcement. The name derives from speed cameras, some of which are manufactured by Gatsometer BV and referred to by the abbreviation Gatso.
Gatso has said that he "may or may not be" the campaign director of Motorists Against Detection (MAD), a group which claimed responsibility for speed camera destruction and damage in 2003. Gatso wore a plastic Tony Blair mask during stunts and photo ops, in reference to the prime minister of the time. He said in a 2004 interview that he has "never gone round disabling cameras" personally.
In August 2023 a caller to TalkTV identifying themselves as Captain Gatso claimed to be the campaign director of the 'Blade Runners', a group who have sabotaged surveillance cameras in London in response to the expansion of the city's Ultra Low Emission Zone.
References
- ^ Macalister Hall, Malcolm (26 April 2004). "We're MAD as hell..." The Independent. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- "We're MAD as hell..." Independent. 26 April 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- Lyall, Sarah (26 October 2006). "British drivers wage war on speed cameras - Europe". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- "Speed camera destroyed in a day". BBC News. 10 February 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- Khan, Stephen (7 September 2003). "Saboteurs take out 700 speed cameras". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- "Anti-ULEZ Vigilante Justifies Camera Destruction". TalkTV. Retrieved 30 August 2023.