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Climate activists dump charcoal into Italy's Trevi Fountain, turning water black

Last Generation said in a news release that the black liquid, which caused no damage to the fountain, symbolized the need for an end to fossil fuels. Photo courtesy of Last Generation
1 of 3 | Last Generation said in a news release that the black liquid, which caused no damage to the fountain, symbolized the need for an end to fossil fuels. Photo courtesy of Last Generation

May 21 (UPI) -- Climate activists with the group Last Generation dumped diluted vegetable charcoal into the water of Rome's famed Trevi Fountain in Italy on Sunday, turning the water black.

Last Generation said in a news release that the black liquid, which caused no damage to the fountain, symbolized the need for an end to fossil fuels.

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Eight climate activists participated in the protest action, which occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time. Police reportedly responded immediately and arrested the activists about half an hour later.

One of the protesters, named Mattia, said that she was motivated to participate in the "civil disobedience" because of ongoing disastrous flooding in the Emilia Romagna region in northeastern Italy.

The flooding, which has left at least 14 people dead and affected dozens of towns and villages, has reached such a severity that it prompted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to leave the Group of Seven Summit in Japan early.

"The horrible tragedy experienced in these days in Emilia Romagna is a warning of the dark future that awaits humanity, made up of drought alternating with increasingly frequent and violent floods," Mattia said in her statement.

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"Furthermore, according to the Bank of Italy, one house out of four is at risk of flooding in Italy, with damage estimated at 3 billion each year. The only way to prevent this from happening is to stop emissions related to fossil fuels. Our Government, on the other hand, continues undaunted to give the fossil fuel industry public funding for tens of billions of euros every year."

Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, condemned the protest in a statement and said the fountain will have to undergo a "complex cleaning operation that will cost a lot of work."

"This is not the right way to conduct a battle for the environment and against climate change," Gualtieri said on Facebook.

"Such gestures are completely wrong and damaging, because they risk damaging precious common goods such as our monuments, and force public administrations into very expensive and environmentally impactful restoration interventions. So they are completely counterproductive."

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