Two climate activists from the Italian group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) have received a suspended prison sentence and have been ordered to pay approximately €30,000 (around $32,300) in damages for attaching themselves to the base of a statue at the Vatican museum last year. In August, Guido Viero and Ester Goffi affixed themselves to the marble pedestal of the timeless Laocoon statue at the museum. The statue portrays sea serpents crushing the mythical priest as he attempts to warn the Trojans against accepting the Greek-gifted wooden horse. The Last Generation and other similar climate organizations often rely on similar acts to raise awareness about climate issues. They argue that provoking strong reactions is an effective form of protest. The Vatican City State Tribunal handed down a sentence on Monday, imposing a nine-month suspended prison term and a €1,620 fine on Goffi and Viero. They were also jointly ordered to pay €28,148 in damages and €1,000 in legal fees. Another activist received a suspended sentence and a €120 penalty.
The group announced the verdict on Tuesday and expressed its intention to appeal, condemning the sentence as "exaggerated." They argued that the judge failed to recognize the "dire nature of the situation" that motivated all their protests. Ultima Generazione accused the Italian government of "encouraging" fossil fuel companies, which it claimed were causing increasing devastation to communities, nature, and artistic heritage. They also accused the Vatican of hypocrisy, asserting that their protest aimed to highlight the pope's writings and advice. Pope Francis has consistently emphasized his commitment to environmental concerns, underscoring the need to protect the planet for future generations.
Source: AFP, Reuters
Assessment
While I completely understand the threat of climate change is real and upon us, I think the majority of these types of protests fail to achieve what they set out to. It appears to me that in the last 12-18 months, climate activists have done more to hurt their own causes than to grow them. Actions such as glueing yourself to statues or blocking traffic only tend to interrupt ordinary people's lives, making them less likely to support the cause. To me, it would be more effective if they conducted no disruptive protests to raise money for ad campaigns using more traditional methods and used their profiles to try to get into politics to make meaningful changes to the way policy is written. This would likely cause less disruption to ordinary people and have more positive effects long term.
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Vatican court fines climate activists over museum protest
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Information
Two climate activists from the Italian group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) have received a suspended prison sentence and have been ordered to pay approximately €30,000 (around $32,300) in damages for attaching themselves to the base of a statue at the Vatican museum last year. In August, Guido Viero and Ester Goffi affixed themselves to the marble pedestal of the timeless Laocoon statue at the museum. The statue portrays sea serpents crushing the mythical priest as he attempts to warn the Trojans against accepting the Greek-gifted wooden horse. The Last Generation and other similar climate organizations often rely on similar acts to raise awareness about climate issues. They argue that provoking strong reactions is an effective form of protest. The Vatican City State Tribunal handed down a sentence on Monday, imposing a nine-month suspended prison term and a €1,620 fine on Goffi and Viero. They were also jointly ordered to pay €28,148 in damages and €1,000 in legal fees. Another activist received a suspended sentence and a €120 penalty.
The group announced the verdict on Tuesday and expressed its intention to appeal, condemning the sentence as "exaggerated." They argued that the judge failed to recognize the "dire nature of the situation" that motivated all their protests. Ultima Generazione accused the Italian government of "encouraging" fossil fuel companies, which it claimed were causing increasing devastation to communities, nature, and artistic heritage. They also accused the Vatican of hypocrisy, asserting that their protest aimed to highlight the pope's writings and advice. Pope Francis has consistently emphasized his commitment to environmental concerns, underscoring the need to protect the planet for future generations.
Source: AFP, Reuters
Assessment
While I completely understand the threat of climate change is real and upon us, I think the majority of these types of protests fail to achieve what they set out to. It appears to me that in the last 12-18 months, climate activists have done more to hurt their own causes than to grow them. Actions such as glueing yourself to statues or blocking traffic only tend to interrupt ordinary people's lives, making them less likely to support the cause. To me, it would be more effective if they conducted no disruptive protests to raise money for ad campaigns using more traditional methods and used their profiles to try to get into politics to make meaningful changes to the way policy is written. This would likely cause less disruption to ordinary people and have more positive effects long term.