The Italian Stallion! Climate activist is dragged away by Florence mayor after the eco-vandal spray-painted ancient building
- Dario Nardella praised as Florence’s own Superman after stopping the activist
- Mayor said the cleanup of paint fiasco required more than 1000 gallons of water
An Italian mayor has been likened to a superhero after tackling a climate change protester who sprayed orange paint on a 13th century town hall in Florence.
Astonishing footage shows mayor Dario Nardella running towards a male climate activist who was holding a fire extinguisher filled with paint he used to spray the walls of Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio.
The mayor then wrapped his arms around the male protester and tried to drag him away from the wall of the historical building. A police officer attempted to grab the extinguisher until the activist dropped it.
Mr Nardella then pushed the protester away and shouted in Italian: ‘What the f**k are you doing, what the f**k are you doing?’
The crowd was equally outraged at the protesters and said: ‘What are you trying to achieve by this? Are you going to change by doing this?’
Astonishing footage shows mayor Dario Nardella running towards a male and female climate activist who were holding fire extinguishers filled with paint they used to spray the walls of Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio
The mayor then wrapped his arms around the male protester and tried to drag him away from the wall of the historical building. A police officer attempted to grab the extinguisher until the activist dropped it
The male protester was put in handcuffs as the mayor dropped to his knees with his head in his hands before looking up at the defaced wall.
The tourists who were in the square began to boo and rant against the two activists, who were taken away by the municipal police.
READ MORE – Eco mob take the pea: Activists throw pea soup over Vincent van Gogh masterpiece in Rome in latest attack on artworks
The climate activists, a man and a woman, of the ‘Ultima Generazione” (Last Generation) movement sprayed the orange paint on the walls of the iconic Palazzo Vecchio in Florence on March 17 to protest against the lack of action to tackle global warming.
During the action, which is part of a global protest called ‘We do not pay for fossil fuels’, the Mayor of Florence, Mr Nardella, blocked one of the protesters as tourists were booing the activists.
After stopping the protesters from spraying more paint on the historical building, Mr Nardella joined the efforts to clean up the walls, with a group power washing and scrubbing the paint of the stones.
Mr Nardella revealed that more than 1000 gallons of water were used to clean the ‘environmental blitz’.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘The attack on art, culture and beauty, which are helpless in the face of violence and which arise for the good of humanity can never justify the battle for a cause, even the most acceptable.’
Nardella’s ‘heroic’ actions went viral and were widely praised, with memes comparing him to the city’s own Superman.
One social media user wrote: ‘Nardella is actually Clark Kent,’ while another added: ‘BatNardella!’
On March 18, Mr Nardella released a statement on Twitter saying that he should have addressed the protesters differently despite being ‘appalled and angry’ about the vandalism.
He added: ‘I acted on instinct. As mayor I love Florence not only with my head but with my heart and this time the heart prevailed, the impulse reaction prevailed.
On March 18, Mr Nardella released a statement on Twitter saying that he should have addressed the protesters differently despite being ‘appalled and angry’ about the vandalism. He added: ‘I acted on instinct. As mayor I love Florence not only with my head but with my heart and this time the heart prevailed, the impulse reaction prevailed.’
After stopping the protesters from spraying more paint on the historical building, Mr Nardella joined the efforts to clean up the walls, with a group power washing and scrubbing the paint of the stones. Mr Nardella revealed that more than 1000 gallons of water were used to clean the ‘environmental blitz’
‘The instinct of a father or mother of a family who thought only of defending everyone’s home, Palazzo Vecchio.’
READ MORE: Eco-zealots glue their hands to Botticelli’s masterpiece Primavera at Florence art gallery in bonkers stunt inspired by British Just Stop Oil vandals
While he believes that beauty, culture, art are defenseless in the face of violence and ignorance, just like nature is, vandalism was not the answer to raise awareness for climate change.
He said: ‘Even the most shared battle, such as the one on the climate emergency, cannot be waged by attacking everyone’s heritage. Caring for the planet and caring for art are two cornerstones of our existence.
‘I would like to say to the Last Generation activists that their frustration is more than legitimate.
‘I am a father of three children and as such I would like to leave them a more sustainable and just world.
‘Yesterday we blocked the protest but we didn’t block the desire to protect the planet that hosts us.’
Robert Gualtiere, the mayor of Rome, said: ‘Those who protest for greater environmental protection – which we all agree on – should include culture, beauty and art as part of it: a heritage to defend, not to smear.
‘I’m on mayor Dario Nardella’s side who interrupted an uncivilized gesture.’
Last year, activists from the same group hurled paint at Milan’s La Scala opera house and blocked the Mont Blanc tunnel in a joint action with fellow campaigners from France.
In November ‘Ultima Generazione’ staged other protests, including ones targeting a Van Gogh painting in Rome and an Andy Warhol-decorated car in Milan.
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