Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been banned from Venice for 48 hours and fined £132 after she and fellow Extinction Rebellion activists dyed the Grand Canal bright green over the weekend. Thirty-five other activists received the same punishment.
The activists said they used an environmentally harmless dye to draw attention to the “massive effects of climate collapse.” The protest took place to coincide with the conclusion of the Cop30 United Nations climate conference in Brazil.
The group also displayed a banner reading “Stop Ecocide” from the Rialto Bridge and staged a flash-mob in which protesters, dressed in red with veils over their faces, walked slowly through crowds of tourists.
Luca Zaia, governor of the Veneto region, criticised the action as “a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility.” He added: “It’s a gesture that risks having consequences for the environment.” Some tourists, however, described the protest as legitimate and said it highlighted the failure of world leaders to tackle climate change effectively.
Extinction Rebellion said similar demonstrations had taken place in ten Italian cities, including dyeing fountains in Genoa and Padova and rivers in Turin, Bologna and Taranto. The group criticised the Italian government, led by prime minister Giorgia Meloni, for opposing ambitious climate measures at Cop30.
