Mud on the Body, Ink in the Fountain... Rome Suffers from 'Half-Naked' Radical Protests

Italian Environmental Group Protests in Front of Palace
"Focus on Ecological Changes Due to Climate Change"

Activists who had staged various performances to respond to the climate crisis covered themselves in mud while half-naked this time.

According to AP News and others on the 23rd (local time), 11 activists from Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) held a protest in front of Palazzo Madama in Rome, Italy, to raise awareness about the severity of the climate crisis.

In the center of Rome, the capital of Italy, environmental activists staged a naked protest on the 4th (local time) to raise awareness about the seriousness of the climate crisis. On the back of one activist, the phrase "Stop using fossil fuels" was written.
[Photo by the Italian environmental organization 'Ultima Generazione' website capture]

Among the activists, two women took off their tops and poured mud over their bodies, shouting, "Pay attention to the ecological changes caused by climate change." The other nine reportedly poured mud toward Palazzo Madama.

In a statement released that day, Ultima Generazione said, "As extreme weather events worsen, the government is ignoring the climate crisis," and insisted, "We must prevent tragedies like the floods that occurred in Emilia-Romagna from happening again."

Earlier, from the 16th for two days, the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy experienced a deluge of 200 to 500mm of rain, causing flood damage.

About 20 rivers overflowed, and hundreds of landslides occurred, resulting in at least 14 deaths and over 36,000 displaced people.

This disaster is known to have been caused by abnormal weather due to severe rainfall following a prolonged drought.

Activists are protesting by throwing ink into the Trevi Fountain in Rome on the 21st (local time), demanding the cessation of fossil fuel subsidies. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Two days prior, on the 21st, Ultima Generazione also stirred controversy by dyeing the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome black.

They entered the fountain holding a banner that read, "We will not pay for fossil fuels," and poured plant-based ink diluted with charcoal.

At the time, they claimed, "We wanted to raise awareness about the seriousness of the climate crisis following the recent floods that struck northern Italy."

Completed in 1762 by Italian architect Nicola Salvi, the Trevi Fountain is a masterpiece of late Baroque style and a famous Roman landmark visited by millions of tourists annually. It is also known as a filming location for the movies "Roman Holiday" (1953) and "La Dolce Vita" (1960).

Additionally, on the 4th of last month, they held a road inspection protest in central Rome urging the cessation of fossil fuel use, and last year, they poured vegetable soup on a Vincent van Gogh painting exhibited at the Bonaparte Palace Museum in Rome.

Local netizens showed mixed reactions to Ultima Generazione's protest methods.

Some netizens criticized their actions, saying, "The purpose is good, but the methods seem somewhat extreme." On the other hand, some supported the activists, saying, "If they don't do this, no one will pay attention to environmental issues."

The Italian government has declared a tough stance against repeated "extreme protests" and approved a bill last month imposing fines of up to 60,000 euros (about 87.4 million KRW) for damaging or defacing cultural heritage and artworks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.