ROME (AP) — Police on Wednesday arrested several activists who poured red paint on Rome’s famous Spanish Steps to raise awareness about the situation. femicides in Italy.
The protesters, from an organization called ‘Bruciamo Tutto’ or ‘Let’s Burn Everything’, spilled paint on the 135-step monument and then dipped their hands in the paint, meant to represent blood, to leave handprints on the monument . tourists watched.
Police carried the demonstrators, who were walking limply, away from the scene.
One activist shouted that 40 women had been murdered in Italy since the murder on November 11, 2023 of 23-year-old Giulia Cecchettin, who galvanized outrage against violence against women. Venice prosecutors recently completed their investigation into her ex-boyfriend’s murder. Charges are pending.
The activists left leaflets with the names of women murdered this year, mainly by their partners.
Sanitation workers hosed down the steps and immediately washed away the paint. There appeared to be no permanent damage.
The Spanish Steps are a major attraction for tourists and have appeared as a backdrop in films including the classic ‘Roman Holiday’ and the more recent ‘ Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning, ‘ in which Tom Cruise crashes down the stairs in a Fiat 500.
