Seven climate activists demonstrated today in the water of the world-famous Trevi Fountain in Rome. They blackened the water by adding a liquid containing diluted charcoal. Police pulled the group out of the water.
The demonstrators belong to the action group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation), also known for throwing soup at Vincent van Gogh’s painting De Sower. They held a banner in the fountain that read, “We don’t pay for fossil fuels,” as part of a campaign against fossil fuel subsidies, and shouted that “our country is dying.”
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Demonstrators referred to severe flooding and landslides this week in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. There it started to rain heavily after a months-long period of drought. The extreme weather is linked by scientists to global warming.
Mayor Roberto Gualtieri condemned the action. “Enough of these absurd attacks on our artistic heritage,” he said via Twitter. Gualtieri says he hopes that the fountain has not been permanently damaged by the action and calls on activists to take action “without endangering monuments”.
The Trevi Fountain is the largest fountain in Rome and one of the most famous in the world. The activists have previously manifested at other well-known fountains in the city. For example, they poured a black liquid into one of the fountains at the famous Spanish Steps in Rome.
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The Italian government announced a tougher crackdown on climate activists in response to the actions. She wants to punish vandalism of cultural heritage with damages of 10,000 to 60,000 euros.
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