Van Gogh attack 'ignoble' says culture minister

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 4 - Climate activists' attack on a Van Gogh in Rome Friday was an "ignoble" act, Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said.
    "Art should always be defended," he said after three female Ultima Generazione activists threw soup on the The Sower in Rome's Palazzo Bonaparte.
    "Attacking art is an ignoble act that must be firmly condemned," said the minister.
    "Culture, which underlies our identity, must be defended and protected, and certainly not used as a loudspeaker for forms of protest.
    "Indeed, our cultural heritage must be safeguarded exactly from the consequences of climate change. This umpteenth gesture cannot therefore be passed off as a legitimate expression of protest.
    "It is right to recall on this very day that crimes against the cultural patrimony are severely punished and that the authors are criminally liable to prosecution". (ANSA).