A group of anti-climate change activists is currently being tried in a courtroom in Vatican City for damaging the base of an old statue there.
Guido Viero and Ester Goffi attached their hands to the base of the Roman statue “Laocoön and His Sons” in August 2022 using super glue.
Also, they used super glue to attach QR codes to the statue’s base that directed viewers to activist resources.
Viero, 61, and Goffi, 26, were recorded by a third individual identified only as Laura, who was also charged by the Vatican police.
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All three are members of Last Generation — an international climate protest group known for public stunts attempting to harm historic artwork and disrupt the peace.
Last Generation claims Viero and Goffi are facing up to three years in prison and a fine of over €3,000.
They have repeatedly appealed to Vatican officials — including the pope — for leniency, stating that the goal was not to damage the ancient work of art but instead to draw attention to climate change and its effects.
The damage done to the Vatican statue is only one in a spree of similar protests across the Western hemisphere.
Climate activists defaced a work of art near Germany’s Parliament Saturday in the latest act of vandalism by protestors concerned with environmental policy.
Story adapted from Fox News