Trevi Fountain water turns black in Rome
climate protest
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[May 22, 2023]
ROME (Reuters) - Seven young activists protesting against climate
change climbed into the Trevi Fountain in Rome on Sunday and poured
diluted charcoal into the water to turn it black.
The protesters from the "Ultima Generazione" ("Last Generation") group
held up banners saying "We won't pay for fossil (fuels)," and shouted
"our country is dying". |
![](../images/052223PIX/news_c5.jpg)
Climate activists hold a banner after
pouring vegetable charcoal in the Trevi Fountain water, during a
demonstration against fossil fuels, in Rome, Italy May 21, 2023 in this
image obtained from social media. Allesandro Penso/MAPS via REUTERS
|
Uniformed police waded into the water to take away the
activists, with many tourists filming the stunt and a few of the
onlookers shouting insults at the protesters, video footage
showed.
In a statement, Ultima Generazione called for an end to public
subsidies for fossil fuels and linked the protests to deadly
floods in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna in
recent days. The group said one in four houses in Italy are at
risk from flooding.
Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri condemned the protest, the latest
in a series of acts targeting works of art in Italy.
"Enough of these absurd attacks on our artistic heritage," he
wrote on Twitter.
The tradition is for visitors to toss coins into the famous 18th
century Trevi Fountain to ensure that they will return to Rome
one day.
(Writing by Keith Weir. Editing by Jane Merriman)
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