Visitors and residents of Rome witnessed an extraordinary sight on Saturday when three climate activists paraded the well-known Baroque fountain (Fontana della Barcaccia) under the Spanish Steps. Two men and a woman dyed water black to protest fossil fuels.
The Ultima Generazione, or Last Generation, movement has already claimed activists who have been arrested and are awaiting charges for damaging a public monument and breaking into a fountain. This is due, for example, to last year accidentswhen its members held the base of one of the statues in the Vatican Museums or the base of a work by Sandro Botticelli Primavera in Florence.
“It is absurd to be offended by such a gesture when we are suffering from an extraordinary drought which threatens agriculture and energy production… In short, our livelihood.” I wrote group on Twitter. “Those in power are wreaking havoc far worse before our eyes.”
Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, visited the fountain on Saturday and said the attack on the fountain had nothing to do with fighting climate change and protecting the environment. We share that struggle, but not in such a bad way to fight it. Antiquities must be respected because they belong to everyone.” Call on his Twitter profile.
The fountain was drained after the activists were arrested, and a cleaning crew was called into the fray to carry out a thorough cleanup. Although the memorial is already fully functional, remnants of black paint can still be seen on it. Despite the permanent damage, according to the mayor did not happenThanks for the timely intervention.
The famous 17th-century boat-shaped fountain was designed by the famous Italian sculptor Pietro Bernini, and is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Rome.
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