Blitz in Piazza Navona, the wrath of the institutions against Ultima Generazione.Gualtieri:"This is not how you save the environment."Sangiuliano:«They pay the damages»

Climate activists poured charcoal diluted in water into the Four Rivers fountain to raise the alarm about the "black future" that awaits humanity

"I hope that Parliament will approve the new rules against eco-vandals as soon as possible."Thus the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, after the blitz of the climate activists of Latest Generation which today – Saturday, May 6 – they have targeted the fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, dyeing the waters that flow from its baroque statues black.«As I have explained several times, these are acts against the environment, which we claim to want to defend, because the notion of landscape also includes everything beautiful that human genius has produced over centuries of history.The experts – continues the minister – talk about the anthropisation of the environment.Now, even in this case it will be necessary to use a lot of water to clean up and incur costs to restore the state of the monument."And according to Sangiuliano, "it will be the Italian citizens, all of them", he said, also underlining that it will be necessary to intervene "with specialized personnel and expensive machinery".In the meantime, the Special Superintendent of Rome, Daniela Porro, immediately took action to assess the extent of the damage.The mayor of Rome is also tough on the activists, Roberto Gualtieri, according to which "the right struggles become wrong if they damage common goods", the mayor of the capital wrote on social media.«It is not by putting the artistic heritage at risk that the environment is saved».The political meaning of the activists' gesture and, in particular, that of the black color of the water - obtained by throwing charcoal into it - was explained by the boys themselves:«Our future is as black as this water:without water there is no life and with the increase in temperatures we are exposed to drought, on the one hand, and to floods, on the other.Water that is missing to grow food, water that falls all together destroying houses", writes Ultima Generazione in its press release.

Gualtieri:«Permanent damage avoided»

Despite the anger of the institutions for the gesture of the eco-activists, Gualtieri made it known in the evening that the damage "was not permanent" thanks to the "timely intervention of the Local Police and Acea".The dust thrown into the waters of the Fountain of the Four Rivers «remained – explains the mayor – in the lower part of the basin where the thick layer of limestone protected it, but if the black liquid had settled on other more porous parts of the monument traces could have remained with irreparable damage.It is truly irresponsible to put at risk in this way priceless assets that are the heritage of humanity", reads the note.The cost of the restoration operation was quantified at around 5 thousand euros, «but the damage to the image – added the mayor – is much greater and the risk incalculable.I reiterate my appeal to express one's thoughts in different forms...".