The mayor was overheard saying, “What the f— are you doing?” as he roughly handled one of the demonstrators. in Italiano
This week, a video went viral showing the mayor of Florence, Italy, forcibly stopping climate change campaigners from vandalizing one of the city’s most recognizable buildings.
On camera, Nardella stops two vandals from spraying orange paint from a fire extinguisher onto the side of Florence’s town hall building, the Palazzo Vecchio, in an attempt to draw attention to climate change.
Nardella intervened with Florence police and was seen pushing one of the vandals away from his paint and onto the sidewalk, where he was subsequently detained.
The Sun, a British newspaper, quotes interpreters as saying that Nardella said, “What the f— are you doing?” a police officer spoke Italian to one of the men as he was being handcuffed.
The vandal appeared to try to preach about his political agenda as he was being apprehended, but the enraged mayor seemed to cut him off mid-sentence.
While interviewing on the city’s old streets, Nardella became aware of the climate vandals splashing the paint. They were members of the activist organization Ultima Generazione (Last Generation).
As soon as he saw what they were doing, the mayor looked away from the camera and ran to the scene to save the historic structure, which dates back more than seven hundred years.
According to Florence’s official tourism website, Arnolfo di Cambio is credited with the building’s design. In 1299, work began on the sturdy castle, which would be built atop the demolished Uberti Ghibelline towers.
Famous artworks by Michelangelo and Donatello may be seen throughout the building’s interior.
The mayor, a 47-year-old member of Italy’s Democratic Party, was reportedly seen helping clean up the ancient structure for the British media source. According to eyewitnesses, he said something along the lines of “Barbarians, uncivilized” as he helped remove the paint.
In recent months, graffiti dedicated to raising awareness about climate change has happened in several European countries. One of the most common targets has been priceless artwork housed in some of Europe’s most renowned museums.
Tomato soup was dumped on Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” at the National Gallery in London in October by a pair of eco-activists. To everyone’s relief, the artwork was spared any damage thanks to the barrier that kept it safe. The two vandals, both members of the activist organization Just Stop Oil, were apprehended by the London Metropolitan Police.
In June of last year, two activists from the same organization bonded their hands to the frame of another Van Gogh painting at a different London museum in protest of the country’s climate policy.