Seven young climate activists entered Rome's Trevi Fountain on Sunday and poured diluted charcoal into the water that turned black.
Demonstrators from Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) held signs reading "We will not pay for fossil fuels" and shouted "Our country is dying."
Plainclothes police entered the water to remove the demonstrators, while many tourists filmed what was happening, some shouting insults at the protesters. In a statement, the group called for an end to public subsidies for fossil fuels and also said there was a link to the deadly floods currently plaguing northern Italy. They say one in four homes in Italy is at risk of flooding.
Climate protesters at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, 21 May 5 (Photo: Reuters)
Climate activists poured diluted charcoal into the historic Trevi Fountain (Photo: screenshot, Twitter)
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri condemned the demonstration, the latest in a series of climate protests mostly directed against works of art in the country. "Enough with these absurd attacks on our artistic heritage," he tweeted. The traditional custom is to throw coins into the 18th-century fountain to ensure that they will return to Rome one day.
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