Climate protesters turn waters of famed Rome fountain black.

Italy's culture minister blasted the "reckless actions" of climate activists who poured diluted charcoal into the waters of Rome's landmark Trevi Fountain on Sunday.

"The attacks on monuments by eco-vandals are becoming a tired ritual which, unfortunately, however, has an economic cost for citizens and perhaps even causes damage, " Gennaro Sangiuliano wrote on Twitter.

1/2 Quello degli attacchi ai monumenti da parte degli eco-vandali sta diventando un rituale stanco che, purtroppo però, ha un costo economico per i cittadini e forse provoca anche danni. Ci costituiremo parte civile anche in questo processo. pic.twitter.com/vitAZTG1g2— Gennaro Sangiuliano (@g_sangiuliano) May 21, 2023

The protest was carried out by nine members of the Ultima Generazione group who waded into the 18th-century fountain and held up banners against fossil fuels as they turned the waters black before being dragged out by police.

In a statement, Ultima Generazione called for an immediate halt to public subsidies for fossil fuels, claiming the climate crisis is the reason for the deadly floods in Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region.

"1 out of 4 houses in Italy is vulnerable to floods" - Ultima Generazione wrote on Twitter - "How much longer do we have to wait for those in government to take concrete action?"

"Cosa pensate di risolvere?" "Perché vi accanite contro i monumenti?"

Perché?
Perché non possiamo continuare a fingere che vada tutto bene. Non possiamo continuare a "sperare" che chi è al potere faccia il suo dovere. #UltimaGenerazione #FontanadiTrevi #crisiclimatica pic.twitter.com/NkyTnu9ocz— Ultima Generazione (@UltimaGenerazi1) May 21, 2023

Rome's mayor Roberto Gualtieri also condemned the stunt, which came less than two months after a similar incident at the Barcaccia fountain at the foot of the Spanish Steps.

“Enough of these absurd attacks on our artistic heritage", the mayor wrote on Twitter, noting that the clean-up operation "would lead to the waste of 300,000 litres of water".

Oggi 9 attivisti hanno versato carbone vegetale nella #FontanadiTrevi. Grazie all’intervento tempestivo della Polizia locale evitato il peggio. Ora necessario un intervento che impegnerà risorse pubbliche e porterà allo spreco di 300 mila litri di acqua https://t.co/IRowYI6X4z pic.twitter.com/N4YLRb92se— Roberto Gualtieri (@gualtierieurope) May 21, 2023

The blitz at the Trevi Fountain was the latest in a string of actions by climate activists in Rome and Milan in recent months, from gluing their hands to art works to staging road blocks in rush hour traffic.

One of Rome's top tourist attractions, the Trevi Fountain was inaugurated on this day in 1762.

Photo Ultima Generazione