If you have ever visited Venice, you have probably been to St. Mark’s Square, Italy. It’s the historic square that houses the Basilica San Marco, or St. Mark’s Basilica.
This church is dedicated to St. Mark, the Evangelist. It also contains his relics and beautiful gold mosaics. The heart of the town, it’s an iconic symbol of the city.
Climate activists, who were stepping up their efforts, decided to target The Basilica. They’ve been annoying and destructive by blocking traffic and destroying famous works of art. Now they’ve gone to another level. Even churches have become targets for vandalism and defacing.
Ecoterrorists deface Basilica of San Marco. Made in year 1063 is currently and has always been the center of public and religious life in Venice. pic.twitter.com/acLxnYtEI3
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) December 7, 2023
The building was covered in mud and Nesquik. It is not known how much damage was done to the historical structure.
Luigi Brugnaro is the mayor of Venice.
Un gesto gravissimo e vergognoso che condanniamo fermamente!
Gli attivisti per il clima hanno imbrattato poco fa l’esterno della Basilica di San Marco a Venezia, sembra con del liquido misto a fango. Al momento speriamo senza danni permanenti.Ora basta, è legittimo esprimere… pic.twitter.com/y51L8ZBv4W
— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) December 7, 2023
The Mayor condemned it as a “serious, shameful act.” He expressed his hope that there would be no “permanent damages.” He said “Enough Is Enough” and that it was legit to protest but you must do so while “respecting our cultural and religious inheritance.” He said that vandalism was not the best way to solve problems.
The vandals were justified by the activists.
Last Generation activists are calling for a “reparation” fund of 20 billion euros to compensate Italians who have suffered climate-related damages. The activists cited rising sea levels in Venice and mudslides which have recently caused havoc on some Italian communities. [….]
Pope Francis called on the activists to protect the environment. Two Last Generation activists were recently found guilty by the Vatican tribunal and ordered to pay more than 28,000.00 euros in restitution for gluing their hands on the base of a statue in the Vatican Museums to bring attention to their cause.
Six of the activists were arrested by police. We hope they face some consequences for what they did. I would not bet on that. As we have seen, they had no real consequences when blocking roads and sticking themselves to famous art. However, they did get angry drivers to move them.
They’re stepping up their efforts, and they don’t even hesitate to attack a church. Their climate beliefs are, after all, their new religion. They don’t give a damn about history (or the fact that Venice has always had flooding). They only care about using anything they can to further their cause. Even if that means defacing a national and religious symbol. I can guess that this isn’t likely to help them.
