Climate activists have been filmed jumping into Rome's infamous Trevi Fountain and dyeing the water black.
Around 10 members of the group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) jumped into the Trevi Fountain on Sunday (May 21) and held banners saying (translated) 'let's not pay for fossils', before chanting 'our country is dying'.
Uniformed officers could be seen pulling the protesters from the water while onlookers shouted jeers and insults.
All activists involved in the demonstration were arrested and face vandalism charges, according to Rome police.
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The protest came after at least 14 people died in severe flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. The floods saw six months' worth of rainfall in only 36 hours and forced some 36,000 people from their homes, as well cutting power to 20,000.
In a statement, the group explained that the act of dyeing the water black with charcoal 'foreshadows the 'end of the world' scenario we are heading for, as we increasingly step on the accelerator: drought alternating with devastating floods, which will put an end to life on Earth, along with heat waves'.
One of the protesters called Mattia explained why he had taken part, saying: "[It's] because the horrible tragedy experienced in these days in Emilia Romagna is a forewarning of the black future that awaits mankind."
The group has called for an end to all subsidies for fossil fuels and highlighted that a quarter of houses in Italy are vulnerable to flooding.
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Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri condemned the protests, writing in a tweet (translated): "Enough of these absurd attacks on our artistic heritage. Today the Trevi Fountain was stained. The cleaning process will be complex and expensive, and hopefully there is not any permanent damage. I invite activists to compete on a confrontational terrain without posing a risk to monuments."
He added: "Thanks to the speedy intervention of the local police the worst was prevented. Now an intervention is necessary that will require the use of public resources and will waste 300,000 litres of water."
Italian news agency Ansa reported that there was no permanent damage to the fountain itself as the black charcoal had settled on the waterproofing and not on the stonework.
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The protest is the second such action since April when a similar protest saw activists from the same group pouring charcoal into a 17th-century fountain in Rome known as La Barcaccia.
Topics: News, World News, Climate Change