The Italian Government has said enough to vandalism against cultural heritage. The Council of Ministers approved a bill specifying that “in addition to the criminal sanctions already provided for, there will be an administrative fine between 20,000 and 60,000 euros, for whoever destroys, disperses, deteriorates or renders useless, totally or partially, cultural property.” or own landscapes or others. The bill also provides for fines for other minor cases, other than those mentioned above: “Whoever defaces, stains or uses cultural property for a use that is detrimental or incompatible with its historical or artistic nature, the fine will be between 10,000 and 40,000 euro. The income – adds the text of the Government – will be donated to the Ministry of Culture, so that they are used mainly in the restoration of damaged goods.
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano intends to penalize anyone, from soccer ultras to rude tourists, who commit acts that put cultural heritage at risk. Even climbing a statue or diving into a fountain, or inscribing initials in the Colosseum… acts of vandalism that are frequent, especially in tourist cities, will be punished from now on. In recent months there have been several episodes that have outraged public opinion. The last one occurred on April 1, when three activists -two men and one woman- poured a black liquid made from charcoal into the Barcaccia fountain, a famous work by the sculptor Pietro Bernini, father of Gian Lorenzo, located in Piazza of Spain, at the foot of the steps of Trinita dei Monti. The three young men belonged to Última Generación, a network of activists that has long carried out non-violent actions to draw the attention of the media, politics and the public to the serious consequences of global warming. The list of episodes of vandalism against cultural property is long. It is also worth noting, because it had great national repercussions, the orange paint (washable) thrown on the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, on March 17, and before (January 2) red paint was thrown on the facade and main door of the Madama Palace in Rome, seat of the Senate. Nobody forgets either the activists with their hands glued to the painting ‘Spring’ by Botticelli in the Uffizi Gallery.
Faced with this series of serious episodes in symbolic monuments of some Italian cities, culminating in the aforementioned Barcaccia, the Minister of Culture, Genaro Sangiuliano, said enough!: «The action against the Fontana della Barcaccia in Plaza de España is the gout that fills the glass. It is time to say enough: we are facing a systematic act of vandalism against artistic and cultural heritage that has nothing to do with environmental protection,” Sangiuliano wrote on Twitter. The minister himself has explained the philosophy behind the government’s decision: «Attacks on monuments and artistic sites cause economic damage to the community. Cleaning requires the intervention of highly specialized personnel and the use of very expensive machinery. Whoever performs these acts must also assume financial responsibility.
The Last Generation environmentalists announce that they will continue with their acts of civil disobedience: “We are prepared for the repression and it does not scare us,” says a spokesman. We cannot stop, the weather does not stop«.