Environmental activists, apparently two, daubed a few minutes ago the facade of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence with orange paint and were blocked by the mayor Dario Nardella who was carrying out an inspection on the Arengario at that very moment.
The episode happened recently.
The tourists who were in the square began to boo the environmentalists.
According to what is learned, they would belong to the last generation group.
Cleaning operations are already underway on the facade of Palazzo Vecchio, which was smeared this morning by some environmentalists with orange paint.
Among those participating in the cleaning of the stone cladding there is also the mayor Dario Nardella who has climbed onto a mobile scaffolding equipped with a water hose and a brush with which he personally removes the dirt from the facade.
Nardella, according to reconstructions, was on site for an inspection when the blitz started and intervened to stop the perpetrators.
"They are barbarians. This is not how you protest, they should defend civilization", Nardella told the first reporters who flocked to Palazzo Vecchio. with orange paint.
The mayor was in Piazza della Signoria for an inspection while the activists went into action.
He himself intervened in turn to block one by giving support to the traffic police who were launching in pursuit.
Luckily there were expert restorers in the square, present for other interventions on a sculpture;
this made it possible to intervene correctly immediately to remove the paint, using water, and limiting the damage.
The timeliness of this intervention is considered fundamental.
The activists who daubed Palazzo Vecchio this morning allegedly fired the paint from fire extinguishers to speed up their action.
ANSA learns it on the spot.