Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been banned from entering Venice, Italy, for 48 hours after participating in Extinction Rebellion’s act of marking the Grand Canal green. Thunberg and approximately 35 other demonstrators were fined $172 each for the protest, which the group claims aimed to highlight the urgency of climate change.
Extinction Rebellion insisted the non-toxic fluorescent dye used posed no ecological threat, as it is commonly used in environmental studies. The group argued the stunt was designed to draw attention to the massive effects of climate collapse, particularly highlighting Venice as one of Europe’s most vulnerable cities due to rising sea levels and increased flooding.
The protest took place just as the COP30 United Nations climate conference ended in Brazil, where Extinction Rebellion coordinated actions across ten Italian cities. These included dyeing fountains in Genoa and Padova and turning rivers green in Turin, Bologna, and Taranto. The group also criticized the Italian government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for resisting stronger climate measures at the conference.
Veneto Province Gov. Luca Zaia called the stunt a ‘gesture that risks having consequences for the environment,’ noting that the action was ‘a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility.’ Despite the criticism, Extinction Rebellion defended the protest as a necessary step to raise awareness about the climate crisis and its potential impact on Venice, a city already facing the challenges of rising sea levels and flood risks.