Women's rights activists paint Rome's Spanish Steps red

ROME

Campaigners highlighting violence against women spread red paint across Rome's famous Spanish Steps on June 26, in a protest the local authority said did not cause permanent damage.

Activists from group "Bruciamo Tutto," or "Burn Everything," held up a list of women recently killed as they spread children's washable paint across the monument in the historic center of the Italian capital.

"This is their blood — a massacre that society refuses to see... as if it were normal to die at the hands of one's own husband, partner or son," said a statement from the group.

Their name comes from a call to action made by the sister of Giulia Cecchettin, a university student killed by her ex-boyfriend last year in a case that triggered nationwide grief and anger.

"Don't hold a minute's silence for Giulia, but burn everything," Elena Cecchettin said, calling for a revolution in what she said was a culture that allowed such violence.

The Spanish Steps, designed by architect Francesco de Sanctis between 1723 and 1726 and overlooked by the Trinita dei Monti church, are one of the Italian capital's most iconic landmarks.

Rome's local authority said later on June 26 that the clean-up had been carried out rapidly and there was no risk of permanent damage.

Most of the paint came off with a high-pressure washer, while residual pink marks were removed first with brushes and, where required, specialist products, it said.

"The timely cleaning operation averted the risk of permanent damage to the monument, which will be reopened as soon as possible," it said.

Protesters — often climate activists — are increasingly targeting cultural sites in their campaigns as a way of increasing publicity.

Last week campaigners from "Just Stop Oil" in England sprayed an orange substance on Stonehenge, the prehistoric UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has increased penalties for people who damage monuments and cultural sites.