Vandals who attack monuments and other cultural sites in Italy could soon face five-figure fines, thanks to new legislation.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the country’s Council of Ministers approved a bill that would impose fines between €10,000 and €60,000 ($11,000 and $66,000) on defacers of cultural heritage. The vandals could also face criminal charges.
The bill, proposed by Italy recently appointed Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, follows recent high-profile acts of vandalism, many of which were initiated by climate activists. Earlier this month, members of the Ultima Generazione group dyed the water of Rome’s famous Barcaccia fountain black— a demonstration against the government’s commitment to fossil fuels.
The same group spray-painted the facade of Palazzo Madama, the 15th-century home of the Italian Senate, in January. “Behind the act [is] desperation resulting from the continued release of increasingly alarming statistics and data on ecoclimatic collapse,” Ultima Generazione said at the time.
It cost the government €40,000 ($44,000) to clean up the building, Sangiuliano explained in a statement this week.
“Attacks against monuments and artistic sites produce economic damage for everyone,” the minister said. “To clean it, the intervention of highly specialized personnel and the use of very expensive machinery are necessary.”
“Whoever commits these acts must also bear financial responsibility,” Sangiuliano added.
Following cabinet approval, the law must be passed by Parliament within 60 days or it will expire. There’s little hope it won’t pass, however; The right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni holds a majority in parliament.
Activists aren’t the only ones reshaping Italy’s cultural sites these days. Last year a the man drove a rented Maserati down tThe Spanish Steps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located behind the Barcaccia Fountain, removes a piece of stone in the process. A few weeks later, two American tourists did something similar with motorized scooters. The incidents caused €50,000 ($54,649) and €25,000 (about $27,000) in damage, respectively.
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