Milan, they defaced Cattelan's Finger: All Ultima Generazione activists acquitted

Milan, March 3 (LaPresse) – All activists from Ultima Generazione were acquitted for the January 15, 2023, incident when they poured washable yellow paint onto the base of 'Cattelan’s Finger', the artwork 'L.O.V.E.' located in Piazza Affari in Milan. The Milan Court decided to issue a judgment of non-prosecution due to a lack of complaint from the Municipality, which had joined the lawsuit as a civil party, seeking €447 in damages for cleaning the artwork. The three climate activists, aged 25, 26, and 40, had initially been charged with the defacement of cultural or landscape assets, a crime punishable by 2 to 5 years of imprisonment and fines of up to €15,000. Judge Maria Teresa Guadagnino requalified the initial charge to "defacement of simple movable property," as the protest action targeted only the base of Cattelan's artwork and did not damage the piece itself. This offense carries lesser penalties and can only be prosecuted with a complaint from the property owner, which was never filed. During the trial, which concluded more than two years after the incident, Maurizio Cattelan himself supported the Ultima Generazione activists. The defense attorney, Gilberto Pagani, who had requested acquittal on the grounds that the action did not constitute a crime, called Professor Tomaso Montanari as a witness. Montanari, with an expert report, excluded any "vandalistic intent" and described the artwork as "interactive and transitive," meant to engage with the public. At the end of the proceedings, the Milan Prosecutor's Office requested acquittal for the activists due to the minor nature of the offense. The full reasoning behind the ruling will be deposited within 60 days.