Something has cracked with climate protesters. In recent months, some of the world’s great artistic treasures have been sabotaged by activists trying to make some kind of point about the warming atmosphere. Activists have thrown soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers at London’s National Gallery and smeared chocolate cake on the wax statue of King Charles III at London’s Madame Tussauds museum to spread the word about climate change. Now it’s the turn of Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain.
With its striking white stone structure and light blue water encircling it below, the Trevi Fountain has been one of central Rome’s iconic attractions since it was completed in 1762. Apart from its baroque beauty, the fountain was significant in literally bringing reliable drinking water to Romans who had suffered for generations without it as the ancient aqueducts fell into disrepair. Although Trevi is really used now as a selfie-taking backdrop, the fountain is still fed by such an aqueduct today. All that was rudely interrupted on Sunday, when a group of Italy-based climate protesters from Ultima Generazione (or “Last Generation”) dumped charcoal into it, demanding an end to public subsidies for fossil fuels. They held up signs that read, “We won’t pay for fossil [fuels].”
The use of charcoal contaminated the water at the fountain, necessitating the replacement of about 79,251 gallons (300,000 liters) of water, the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, wrote on Twitter.
“Today 9 activists poured charcoal into #FontanadiTrevi,” Gualtieri wrote on Sunday. “Thanks to the timely intervention of the local police, the worst was avoided. An intervention is now needed that will commit public resources and lead to the waste of 300,000 liters of water.”
Oggi 9 attivisti hanno versato carbone vegetale nella #FontanadiTrevi. Grazie all’intervento tempestivo della Polizia locale evitato il peggio. Ora necessario un intervento che impegnerà risorse pubbliche e porterà allo spreco di 300 mila litri di acqua ▶️ https://t.co/IRowYI6X4z pic.twitter.com/N4YLRb92se
— Roberto Gualtieri (@gualtierieurope) May 21, 2023
