The attack by English eco-vandals on Just stop the oil against the Venus of Rokeby, a 17th-century masterpiece by Diego Velazquez, caused a lot of indignation. The activists broke the protective glass of the painting, valued at around $90 million, with hammers before making their proclamation. Fortunately, the canvas was not hit or ruined by the action but, once again, the actions of fanatical environmental groups impacted works of art and monuments. There has been no shortage of criticism against this last demonstration, including that of the well-known virologist Roberto Burioni.
“Seeing these idiots I would like to buy a Range Rover like the one my father had in 1980 with a 3.5l V8 engine without a catalytic converter.“, declared the doctor. The environmentalist ideology of the eco-vandals taken to the extreme with actions of this type leads public opinion not to share their ideas, distancing them from environmentalist cause. Just Stop Oil can be defined as the “primary” association of Ultima Generazione, very active in Italy with very similar actions.
Impossible to forget them impurities with the coals from the fountains in Rome, which ran the risk of staining, or those from the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Not to mention the disaster in Milan, where activists indelibly vandalized the equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II in the Piazza Duomo. After several cleaning attempts with traditional systems, all of which failed, a complete restoration operation was necessary, which will require an external company for several months, at an expense in the order of hundreds of thousands of euros.
If Burioni defined them as “idiots”, Vittorio Sgarbi did no less, calling them “two idiots“which according to him”they should be beaten“The glass did not break because it was designed to resist these types of attacks to prevent theft.”Slaves to their prejudices, instead of fighting for a better world, they contaminate it with their aberrant violence.“, is the reflection of Sgarbi who adds: “Attacking a work of art, hitting it, is like attacking and hit a man. They can’t understand it: hitting Venus is hitting the feeling of love“.
The undersecretary stated that “Their gesture scrawny bodies Without a soul that hammers Venus, it will remain unforgettable as an emblem of the abyss of ignorance of those who are violent against those who cannot defend themselves. Our conscience, grateful for Velázquez’s humanity, cannot forgive or understand them.“.
