Italy wants to crack down on climate activists

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After graffiti on monuments and the soiling of works of art by climate activists, the Italian government wants to punish the destruction of cultural property more severely. The cabinet of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (46) agreed on an accompanying decree, which provides for the payment of damages of 10,000 to 60,000 euros and “criminal sanctions” for those who “destroy, soil or make illegible” cultural objects, according to the Italian. This was announced by Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano (60) on Tuesday. Parliament now has two months to turn the decree into law.

“Attacks against monuments and artistic sites cause economic damage to the community,” Sangiuliano said after the cabinet meeting in Rome. Contaminated cultural objects should be cleaned by “highly specialized personnel” and with “expensive machines”. Those who do so must “also assume financial responsibility”. In his statement, the minister described the activists as “eco vandals”.

“It is enough”

As in Germany, climate activists in Italy are attracting attention with extraordinary actions. Recently, members of the group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) poured black liquid into the Fontana della Barcaccia on Rome’s famous Spanish Steps to color the fountain’s water. At the end of March, activists daubed orange paint on the facade of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Works of art such as a painting by Van Gogh in Rome or a car by Andy Warhol in Milan have also been destinations.

Sangiuliano strongly criticized the action on the Spanish Steps: “It is time to say that enough is enough: we are facing a systematic destruction of our artistic and cultural heritage that has absolutely nothing to do with environmental protection.”

For the activists, however, the government’s current efforts to combat climate change don’t go far enough – they see their actions as legitimate forms of protest. (SDA)

Source: Blick