Italian climate activists from the “Last Generation” movement forced their way into the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua on Sunday, with two young men chaining themselves to a railing inside the small Gothic church, widely known for its painted murals.

While tourists walked through the hall to admire the works of art, the two protesters warned them of the effects of climate change before being carried out of the church by police.

The movement, whose demonstrators are staging protests in front of well-known works of art to draw attention to their demands, published videos of their latest campaign online.

The Padua demonstration is the latest peaceful protest of the “Ultima Generazione”, as the movement is called in Italian, in front of well-known art.

On Thursday, activists protested at the Vatican Museums in Rome in front of a well-known depiction of the agony of the Trojan priest Laocoon. “No Gas and No Coal” read a placard held up by a man and woman.

The same collective of climate activists also attracted attention with a demonstration in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence on June 22 in front of the painting “Primavera” by Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli.

Last Generation protesters have previously blocked roads several times, including sections of the heavily used ring road around Rome. © dpa