Climate protest in Venice leads to fines and bans for Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, has been banned from Venice, Italy for 48 hours and fined $172 after participating in Extinction Rebellion’s action of dyeing the Grand Canal green. The protest, which was part of a coordinated effort across ten Italian cities, aimed to highlight the impacts of climate change on vulnerable regions such as Venice. The action involved the use of a non-toxic, fluorescent tracer that was said to have no ecological threat and was commonly used in environmental studies. Extinction Rebellion defended the stunt, stating that the dye used was safe and that the event aimed to draw attention to the growing risks associated with rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
According to sources, the Veneto Province Governor, Luca Zaia, criticized the action, calling it disrespectful to Venice’s heritage and potentially harmful to its environment. Zaia also expressed concerns about the consequences of such protests for the city’s fragile ecosystem. The government had reportedly resisted stronger climate measures at the Brazilian COP30 event, prompting Extinction Rebellion to criticize the Italian government’s stance on climate policy.
Thunberg’s protest in Venice took place just as the COP30 climate conference ended in Brazil, with Extinction Rebellion coordinating actions across various cities, including Genoa, Padova, Turin, Bologna, and Taranto. The group also highlighted the need for urgent global climate action, with demonstrators calling for a ‘Stop Ecocide’ message to be displayed on iconic locations like the Rialto Bridge in Venice. The protest included silent flash-mobs in tourist areas, where demonstrators wore red veils, emphasizing the impact of climate change on communities worldwide.
Despite the criticism from local officials, Extinction Rebellion maintained that their actions were necessary to draw attention to the crisis at hand. The organization argued that the use of non-toxic dyes in environmental studies justified their actions and that the incident demonstrated the growing concern about climate change’s impact on major cities. The protests, part of a broader trend of increasing confrontational climate demonstrations globally, have sparked debates about the balance between free speech and the potential damage to historical and environmental sites.