Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been banned from Venice for 48 hours after leading a protest where green liquid was poured into the Canal Grande. The action was carried out by Extinction Rebellion on the Rialto Bridge on Saturday morning. Local authorities condemn the act as vandalism.
On Saturday morning, 37 activists from the Extinction Rebellion network carried out a protest action on the famous Rialto Bridge over the Canal Grande in Venice. They poured green liquid from five barrels simultaneously, coloring the canal water bright green near the bridge. A banner was hung on the bridge reading 'Stop the ecocide,' meaning stop large-scale environmental destruction.
Greta Thunberg is reported to have led the activists. All participants, including Thunberg, were removed from the site by police. They were banned by the municipality from returning to Venice for 48 hours and reported for unauthorized demonstration. Musical instruments and banners were confiscated, and the participants were identified. Thunberg showed no documents but provided her personal details orally, according to the Italian newspaper Corriere del Veneto.
No environmental crime was reported, as the green substance had no harmful effects. Veneto's regional president Luca Zaia condemned the action in a statement: 'Yet another act that wounds our cities, another attack on the heart of our heritage. I strongly condemn these raids; vandalism cannot protect the environment.'
The action aimed to highlight environmental destruction, but critics view it as damaging to the city's cultural heritage.