Police detained several activists who poured red paint down Rome’s famed Spanish Steps on Wednesday to raise awareness about femicides in Italy.
The protesters spilled paint down the 135-step monument, then dipped their hands in the paint, meant to represent blood, to leave handprints on the monument as tourists looked on.
Police carried protesters, who went limp, away from the scene.
The demonstrators were members of an organization called “Bruciamo Tutto”, an activist group that sprung up following the murder of 23-year old student Giulia Cecchetin.
One activist shouted that 40 women had been killed in Italy since the killing which galvanized nationwide outrage against violence targeting women. Venice prosecutors recently closed their investigation of her ex-boyfriend for the slaying. Charges are pending.
In Italy 109 women were murdered in 2023, 58 of whom were killed by their partner or ex-partner, local media reported.
A top tourist draw, the Spanish Steps have appeared as the backdrop in movies including the classic “Roman Holiday” as well as the more recent “ Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning, ” featuring Tom Cruise bumping down the steps in a Fiat 500.
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