It is called Fleximan, a kind of “avenger” promoted to a new hero of the people for destroying speed cameras wherever he goes. The phenomenon was born in an area of Italy, but the police fear that it could spread with the help of social media.
The authorities of the Italian city of Padua are looking for a man named Fleximan, a kind of new hero of the people, who destroys speed cameras in public roads and already has “imitators”. The actions of this “avenger” generate thousands of shares on the internet and the police fear the escalation of the phenomenon, in one of the countries with the highest number of cameras per kilometer in Europe.
Fleximan has been operating anonymously since May 2023, using a chainsaw to cut the posts where the speed cameras are installed, rendering them completely useless.
Marco Gennari, coordinator of the local police union, justifies the appearance of figures like Fleximan with the strategy of the authorities. “Under the pretext of road safety, municipal and provincial administrations have made radars seem like mushrooms, placing them in the most disparate places, except where they are really needed, more to replenish their coffers than out of a real desire to reduce traffic accidents.” He also adds that “this popular approval will serve to make certain administrations reflect on the use and abuse of certain tools.”
This is a video of Fleximan in action:
