For a few months now, highway blocks and the throwing of food against works of art by climate activists have been commonplace around the world. The United States, Great Britain, Germany and Italy are the countries in which, with greater frequency, the busy connections have been targeted by associations such as «Ultima Generazione» and «Just Stop Oil». In particular, the inconveniences created for motorists are many.
Today in Rome, where the blocks of the Grande Raccordo Anulare are on the agenda, some militants of the ecological movement have smeared the work “Il Sematore” exhibited in Palazzo Bonaparte with a vegetable soup. The work, as in the other cases where this type of action took place, was protected by a glass. In the Netherlands in recent days, an activist, who had glued himself to the protective glass of Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring”, was sentenced to one month in prison.
An example of how demonstrative actions sometimes prove harmful to the community, however, comes from Berlin where a few days ago, according to what the German authorities reported, a cyclist, trapped under a concrete mixer, died after rescue had been delayed. their arrival due to a road block.
The condemnation of the activists’ actions has now also come from the government. The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that “the appeal can only be that, in all the decisions that people make for political demonstrations, they always make sure not to contribute to endangering others. And if that is the case, it is very regrettable. ‘ He also added that “in expressing dissent it would be good for activists to have creativity.” Later, Scholz’s spokesman added that “the German government condemns this kind of protests. We share the defense of the climate, but not the outlawed protests ».
Two people were reported for the blockade which apparently led to the cyclist’s death. The men, aged 59 and 63, are accused of obstructing people who provide assistance, he told Reuters a police spokesman, confirming what was reported by the local newspaper Berliner Zeitung. The two protesters had stuck to a sign on the city’s Highway 100 on Monday, the spokesman added. In a note the activists of the «Last Generation» defended their protest saying that it is their duty to «continue the protest until the government takes initiatives in defense of the climate and that it is their duty to always leave a lane free».