An ICE agent shooting a ski jumping athlete, with the Olympic logo in the background and the red circle turned into a crosshair. This is the artwork that appeared just a few hours ago in front of the CONI headquarters on Viale Tiziano in Rome.
The author is Laika, a Roman street artist and activist who has been striking at night for years now, leaving works of protest that are blunt, unadorned, and open to no alternative interpretations.
Once again, the message is clear, and she herself reiterates it on Instagram, where she writes: «With Trump’s “Gestapo” at the Milan–Cortina Games, fundamental values of the Olympic Charter are being killed, such as solidarity and the fight against discrimination—values that affirm the principle according to which “sport is at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society committed to upholding human dignity”».
In the post, the artist also calls on people to take to the streets and protest, recalling some victims of Trump’s current policies: Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Liam Ramos, who was arrested at the age of five.
Finally, the street artist concludes her message by writing «No one is illegal on stolen land», a phrase spoken a few days ago by Billie Eilish during the Grammy Awards ceremony.
