Climate change and anti-Israel activist Greta Thunberg is currently unwelcome in Venice after she and fellow Extinction Rebellion activists dyed the Grand Canal green, according to international media reports on Monday.
Extinction Rebellion said its activists had released the same type of environmentally friendly dye into canals, rivers, lakes, and fountains in 10 Italian cities to demonstrate “the massive effects of climate collapse”.
They reportedly tipped the colorant into fountains in Genoa and Padova, as well as into the Po River in Turin, the Reno River in Bologna, and the Taro River in Taranto.
The 22-year-old was issued a €150 fine and a 48-hour ban on entering the city. She is one of 36 people to receive the punishment.
The activists dumped dye in the Grand Canal and strung a banner from the Rialto Bridge reading “Stop Ecocide.”
COP30 UN summit fails to tackle fossil fuel use
The stunt coincided with the COP30 United Nations climate conference in Brazil.
Despite the push to move away from fossil fuels, oil-rich Arab states and their allies blocked progress on the issue. Brazil's COP30 presidency pushed through a compromise climate deal on Saturday that would boost finance for poor nations coping with global warming, but that omitted any mention of the fossil fuels driving it.