A large red sphere, symbol of an Earth engulfed in flames, placed in front of the Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper in Turin. How red are the tubes that wrapped the arms of the many Extinction Rebellion activists who, yesterday, chained themselves in the bank hall. While others climbed the external tie rods. It is the third blitz by the environmentalist movement on the eve of the highly armored G7 on climate, energy and the environment, which opens today at the Reggia di Venaria on the outskirts of Turin. The action comes after the “circus” show staged on Friday in front of the Rai headquarters in via Verdi, to denounce the government’s political pressure on the media, and after the protest at the Gallerie d’Italia on Wednesday.
Extinction Rebellion challenges the G7 for continuing to support gas consumption, widening the gap between political objectives and those based on scientific knowledge, and at the same time denounces Intesa’s fossil investments. As reported by the ReCommon report, from 2015 to today, Intesa Sanpaolo has supported the fossil fuel industry with 81.6 billion dollars, making it in the list of the top 40 banks worldwide that finance the expansion of multinationals in the sector. The protesters hung a red banner between the two tie rods of the skyscraper with the words “Seven governments decide, while the world burns”. Among the occupants was also a “Naked King”: one of the activists wore a skeleton costume, with a red cloak and a burning crown.
«This Naked King symbolizes the lies of governments and big banks like Intesa in the face of the obvious effects of climate collapse. The Mediterranean is a climatic red zone, one of the areas of the planet that is warming most rapidly. And Italy is a country that is paying a very high price. To avoid a catastrophe we should immediately stop extracting and burning gas. Instead, Intesa continues to invest in extraction projects”, explains Matilde of Extinction Rebellion. And Margherita adds: «We are witnessing a normalization of the ecoclimatic crisis. Governments and ministers talk about it as something that is now part of our panorama, transforming it into background noise.”
From today until Tuesday 30 April, Turin and Venaria Reale will be the venue for the meeting of the Environment Ministers of Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, none in line with the 2030 decarbonisation objectives. The objective of the forum is “to identify coherent, complementary and interconnected actions to address the ongoing climate, energy and environmental crisis, with particular attention to the most vulnerable areas and populations”. The host is Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, who once again relaunched the return to nuclear energy, announcing that he «has given a mandate to Professor Giovanni Guzzetta to set up a high-level group to redesign the legislative, regulatory and governance framework of the regulatory system Italian, to accommodate a possible program to resume nuclear production”.
Many words and few facts are expected about the climate crisis. And even in Valsusa – the heart of the most emblematic environmentalist battle of recent decades (“The Tav is a climate and environmental crime”, say the No Tav) – the G7 is viewed with suspicion and criticism. And a new mobilization is underway: walks, theatrical performances, fighting initiatives and campsites in the Venaus and San Giuliano garrisons.
A calendar of initiatives that culminates today with the popular demonstration against the G7. It starts at 2pm from the Galileo Galilei park in Venaria. Then everyone in procession through the streets surrounding the center.
