Environmental Activists Fined $30,000 by Vatican Court After Gluing Themselves to Ancient Statue

Laocoön and His Sons, an ancient statue in the Vatican Museums. Courtesy of BEJAN Design

A Vatican court on June 12 handed down a nine-month suspended sentence to two environmental activists who glued themselves to an ancient statue in the Vatican Museums in a protest over climate change.

Guido Viero and Ester Goffi, members of the Italian environmental activist group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation), were convicted of aggravated damage and were also ordered to pay 28,148 euros ($30,390) in restitution and another 1,620 euros ($1,749) in individual fines.