Environmental activists ‘spat at by drivers’ at Rome protest

Dec. 17, 2021

Protesters say they were slapped, kicked and spat at by angry drivers during roadblock in Italian capital

Italian activists have blocked a major road in Rome as part of a series of protests aimed at urging the government to take action to tackle the climate crisis.

The activists, from the group Last Generation, which is supported by Extinction Rebellion, claim they were slapped, kicked and spat at by angry drivers after they assembled along the Maglianella viaduct on the A90 motorway.

It was the eighth time that the environment campaigners have blocked a road in Rome in the past 10 days, with eight activists arrested on Wednesday.

Peter, who was among seven people protesting on Friday morning, said: “I expose myself to danger and uncertainty because I am aware of the danger we are running to humanity.”

It is the first time Italian climate activists have used the road-blocking method to raise awareness, and comes as a civil court case, brought by 203 plaintiffs who are suing the government for failing to address the climate crisis, gets under way in Rome.

The main objective of the Last Generation activists is to force the government to establish a citizens’ assembly as a way to urge politicians to take swift action to address climate issues.

“The assembly is supposed to be created by the government by the end of 2022 and the decisions taken by it will have to become law, so it’s not just about giving the government advice,” said Beatrice Costantino, a spokesperson for Last Generation.

“We’re a small group of people but we’ll repeat this action until our request is accepted. We are also asking for a meeting with [prime minister] Mario Draghi and other ministers. The point of the meeting is to ask them why the government is leaving Italian citizens without any strategy to face the climate crisis.”

Pledging to put the environment at the top of the agenda of his government, Draghi established a ministry for “ecological transition” after being appointed prime minister in February. About €59bn (£51bn) of the more than €200bn Italy is to receive from the EU’s post-pandemic economic recovery fund has been allocated for investment in green initiatives.

Costantino said the government’s pledges so far were just “greenwashing”. “They want to give the impression they are thinking about the problem, but really it’s not enough,” she said.

The plaintiffs taking legal action against the government want Rome’s civil court to order the government to adopt more ambitious climate policies, such as cutting carbon emissions by 92% by 2030. In 2019, Italy set itself a 33% target for carbon emissions reduction by 2030.

Italy is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The melting of the country’s glaciers is picking up speed, while extreme weather events, such as the rare flooding that struck the Sicilian city of Catania in October, are becoming more frequent. Italy endured a long heatwave this summer, with a town in Sicily believed to have broken the European record for the highest temperature registered – 48.8C – in August. The heatwave also exacerbated wildfires, especially in southern Italy.

“Italy is a real climate hotspot,” said Costantino. “2021 was also a bad year for Italian agriculture – we lost one in four types of fruit and almost 80% of olives.”

A further roadblock is planned on Saturday.

“The point of taking disruptive action is to make people agree with the cause. Some drivers have shown their support,” Costantino said. “We are not looking to be loved by people, but to talk about the problems.”

[Top photo: Environmental activists block a road in Rome on Friday as part of a series of protests aimed at urging the government to tackle the climate crisis. Photograph: handout]