Climate activist Greta Thunberg was banned from Venice for nearly 48 hours and fined a whopping 132 euros for dyeing the Grand Canal green in a protest that took place on the weekend.
35 other activists were seen getting the same punishment. These activists mentioned more about how they used an environmentally harmless dye to draw more attention to the huge impacts of climate collapse.
This protest arose to coincide with the conclusion of the COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil. This group also showcased a banner that read: ‘Stop Ecocide!’ from the Rialto Bridge and staged a flash-mob in which protesters were seen dressed in the color red with veils over their faces.
They walked in a slow manner through large crowds of tourists. One of the governors criticized this behavior and mentioned that it’s so disrespectful towards the city in terms of its fragility and history.
He mentioned that it was a gesture that risks having different consequences for this kind of environment. Some tourists described such protests as real and mentioned that they highlighted the failure of world leaders to tackle climate change in a more impactful manner.
Extinction Rebellion mentioned that similar kinds of demonstrations arose in 10 different Italian cities, including the likes of dyeing fountains in both Genoa and Padova, as well as rivers found inside Bologna and Taranto.