Three climate activists from the Last
Generation group on Saturday poured black liquid into the waters
of one of Rome's most iconic fountains, the Barcaccia near the
Spanish Steps.
Police said the liquid was vegetable liquid coal.
The three, two men and a woman, were arrested by Carabinieri.
They risk being cited for damaging cultural heritage.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri condemned the action and went to
the famed site.
The Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the Boat") is a
Baroque-style fountain found at the foot of the Spanish Steps in
Rome's Piazza di Spagna.
Pope Urban VIII commissioned Pietro Bernini in 1623 to build the
fountain as part of a prior Papal project to erect a fountain in
every major piazza in Rome. The fountain was completed between
1627 and 1629 by Pietro possibly along with the help of his son,
the Baroque giant Gian Lorenzo Bernini, especially after his
father's death on August 29, 1629.
Militants from Ultima Generazione (UG, Last Generation) were
recently sent to trial for throwing paint on the Senate house
in Rome.
UG have staged many similar protests including splashing paint
at the entrance to La Scala and sticking themselves to
Botticelli's Spring at the Uffizi and the Laocoon statue in the
Vatican, as well as blocking the Mt Blanc Tunnel, throwing flour
over an Andy Warhol car in Milan, and throwing soup onto a Van
Gogh in Rome.
They have also blocked traffic on Rome's ring road on several
occasions.
UG's direct actions, aimed at raising awareness of the climate
crisis and stopping the use of carbon fuels, have spurred
protests from officials including Premier Giorgia Meloni.
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