Climate activists pour charcoal in Rome's famous fountain, say 'future as black'
A group of climate activists in Italy protested against fossil fuel consumption by pouring black liquid into the water of Rome's famous fountain.
In a show of protest against climate change, a group of Italian climate activists threw "vegetable-based charcoal black liquid" into Rome's famed Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi on Saturday.
The Fiumi Fountain, commonly known as the Fountain of Four Rivers, was built in 1651 by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome's famous Piazza Navona plaza.
The Ultima Generazione, or Last Generation group, associated with the campaign 'WE DON'T PAY FOR FOSSIL' and behind the protest, said in a statement, “Our future is as black as this water: without water there is no life.”
"Difficult years await us, but if we don't zero emissions immediately, they will be terrible," the statement added.
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Why did they choose the Fountain of Four Rivers?
The Fountain of the Four Rivers features statues depicting the four main rivers of the Earth, one for each continent known at the time: the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de la Plata.
The campaigners say, the earliest civilizations arose along rivers since water is a requirement for human life and makes the land fertile and cultivable.
However, they protest that the current climate crisis, which is marked by heat waves, prolonged dry spells, and extreme catastrophes, threatens this equilibrium, which has enabled and continues to enable all of us to live.
Climate activists allege that the government continues to use taxpayer funds to support the fossil fuel sector rather than taking action to preserve crops, the economy, and, most importantly, the population.
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The police make arrests, Italian government condemns the protest
Members of the group were arrested and are now facing accusations of defacing a public monument, according to CNN.
Italy’s minister of culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, slammed the activists’ protest and said those guilty must "pay out of their own pockets," CNN reported.
The same group staged protests at other Italian historical sites, including the Barcaccia fountain in Rome's centre, which they poured dark liquid into last month.
Describing the group as "eco-vandals", the Italian minister continued, "We have to record yet another defacement that endangers the beauty of one of our nation’s iconic works of art."
