Prosecutors had requested that the case against the three, aged between 23 and 39, be shelved, saying the action was not particularly serious.
Cattelan wrote to the defendants’ lawyer, stressing that the action had not ruined the artwork, which is commonly known as Il Dito (‘the finger’) and features a hand with all the fingers severed except the middle one.
The 63-year-old artist also said he did not feel “offended or harmed” by stunt.
The city of Milan has stood as a civil plaintiff in the case.
The stunt is part of a long series of controversial acts of civil disobedience the UG group has staged to draw attention to the climate emergency, including several instances of blocking traffic and pouring easy-to-wash-off paint over the protective shields of artworks and famous monuments.
ANSA
