Climate activists in Italy sentenced to jail for painting Senate

ROME (AFP): An Italian judge on Tuesday handed down three environmental activists a suspended sentence of eight months in jail for spraying the Senate with washable paint last year, the group said.

The three activists from the “Last Generation” group, all in their 20s, had been charged with criminal damage and risked up to five years behind bars.

The group said in a statement that the suspended sentence was subject to the payment of 60,000 euros of damages.

The defendants were among five people who in January 2023 used fire extinguishers to spray the front of the upper house of the Italian parliament in Rome with washable orange paint.

“Whatever happens, we’ll keep going,” defendant Davide Nensi told journalists at the courthouse ahead of the sentencing.

“The intent wasn’t to damage the building but to call attention to the responsibility of parliament to make laws on the environment for all citizens,” he said.

Last Generation, which said it would appeal the ruling, wants Italy to invest more in renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions.

The act — deemed an “outrageous gesture” by far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — spurred a new law passed by parliament in January this year increasing penalties for those who damage monuments and cultural sites.

Last Generation began carrying out peaceful but disruptive protests in Italy in 2022, urging politicians from all parties to make climate change their priority.

According to the European Commission, Italy is on track for significantly higher emissions than those set in its 2030 target.

Activists have thrown soup, cake, mashed potatoes and washable paint at heritage and culture sites and artworks in museums.

Most recently in February, two Last Generation activists stuck photos of climate change devastation to the glass panel covering Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” painting at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence.