Police officers arrest two activists from the Spanish environmental group Future Plants who threw paint on the pillars of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona on August 31. / Screenshot from Future Plants’ social media

Spanish environmental activists were arrested after protesting government climate policies by throwing paint on the pillars of the cathedral designed by architect Antoni Gaudí.

According to AFP, on August 31 (local time), two activists from the environmental group Future Plants were detained in Barcelona for splashing paint on the Sagrada Família. Videos they posted on Instagram showed them painting the lower pillars of the cathedral in red and black while shouting “climate justice.”

The activists argued that the government’s measures on climate change, including responses to the recent massive wildfires that devastated the southern Iberian Peninsula in Spain, have been insufficient. “About 70 percent of wildfires are related to livestock activities,” they said, “and the government has prioritized giving subsidies to livestock farmers over helping people who lost their homes to the fires.”

Spain has recently been experiencing hot and dry weather, worsening wildfire damage. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, wildfires in Spain this year have killed four people and burned over 382,000 hectares, the largest damage since 2006.

The Sagrada Família is one of the most iconic works of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. Construction began in 1882 and has continued for more than a century. The cathedral is scheduled for completion in 2026, marking 144 years since construction started and the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death.

The group that staged this protest has carried out similar demonstrations dozens of times in the past. In 2022, they protested at Madrid’s Prado Museum by attaching their hands to the frames of works by Spanish master Francisco Goya with adhesive, among other actions.