Climate protesters turn Trevi Fountain water black for deadly floods
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Activists turn Trevi Fountain water black in fossil fuel protest
Activists poured vegetable charcoal into the Trevi Fountain, turning the water black and wasting 300,000 liters of water, according to officials.
Claire Hardwick, USA TODAY
Climate activists climbed into the Trevi Fountain, poured black vegetable charcoal into the water and held up banners saying “We won’t pay for fossil (fuels)” in Rome Sunday.
The eight protestors, who are from the “Ultima Generazione” group – which translates to “Last Generation” – poured the liquid into the water to ask “for an immediate stop to public subsidies to all fossil fuels” after deadly floods hit Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, the group said in a statement on their website.
After about 15 minutes, Rome police removed the protestors from the fountain at around 11:45 a.m. local time., the group said.
Floods in Emilia-Romagna: Photos show ‘catastrophic’ floods, dramatic rescue efforts in Italy: 8 dead, thousands stranded
Floods in Emilia-Romagna have claimed at least eight lives
The floods in Emilia-Romagna have killed at least eight people, forced 10,000 people to evacuate and left 50,000 people without electricity, the Associated Press reported.
Some areas have received as much as 20 inches of rain in 36 hours, Reuters reported.
Stefano Bonaccini, the regional president of Emilia-Romagna, said the rainfall has been “catastrophic.”
Mayor of Rome responds on Twitter
Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri took to Twitter to condemn the protest at the Trevi Fountain.
“Enough of these absurd attacks on our artistic heritage,” he wrote on Twitter.
Gualtieri said he invites the activists to discuss the issues, but doesn’t want monuments at risk.
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