Today begins the process for the three twenty-year-olds who on January 2 last year smeared the facade of the Senate with washable paint to draw our attention to the urgency of tackling climate change and the substantial inaction of our politicians.
They invoke exemplary punishments. They are defined as “vandals, drifters, terrorists”. Nothing else? It can be seen that these guys don’t buy pages of advertising in newspapers saving the budgets of many publishers, they don’t finance cultural festivals that otherwise wouldn’t be held, they don’t hold pompous press conferences to announce smoky innovation projects. Otherwise they could mess everything up, even continue to drill for oil and gas at full speed, and be treated as saviors of the country.
It looks strange. An air polluted, not only by fine particles that threaten our health, but by a spirit of revenge that wants to replace the common good with the “I do as I please”. For example, instead of pushing electric mobility or public mobility, the government is going to abolish the super stamp on large cars. This was greeted with enthusiasm because in this way citizens are given “full freedom in purchasing a car”.
Let’s talk about the big cars of the rich: the sheriff of Nottingham could not have done better. But where has Robin Hood gone? The other day among the agitated demonstrating against the plan of the municipality of Rome to reduce polluting cars, the prevailing argument was: “I pay taxes, I go where I want with the car I want”. They are the same ones who opposed the lockdown and masks when there was a pandemic, not caring about the infections. The problem is not them, they have always been there. The problem is the absence of voices to oppose them. Mario Tozzi, in a beautiful book released in recent days, writes: “I accuse our tiredness of fighting against windmills… our lack of desire to be told, once again, that we are catastrophists”. But no, with a smile, with patience, with tenacity and without washable paints: it’s time to start fighting again.