Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been issued a 48-hour ban from entering Venice, Italy, after joining Extinction Rebellion protesters who dyed the Grand Canal bright green, according to reports.
The 22-year-old Swedish activist was also fined $172, along with roughly 35 other demonstrators involved in the action, The Telegraph reported.
Extinction Rebellion said the dye used was a fluorescent, non-toxic tracer commonly employed in environmental studies — such as tracking water flows or monitoring leaks — and insisted it posed “no ecological threat.”
The group said the stunt was intended to “draw attention to the massive effects of climate collapse,” arguing that Venice is among Europe’s most vulnerable cities due to rising sea levels and increasingly frequent flooding.
Thunberg’s protest came just as the COP30 United Nations climate conference concluded in Brazil, with Extinction Rebellion coordinating actions across ten Italian cities. These included dyeing fountains in Genoa and Padova and turning rivers green in Turin, Bologna, and Taranto.
A banner reading “Stop Ecocide” was hung from Venice’s iconic Rialto Bridge, while a silent flash mob of protesters dressed in red veils moved through dense tourist crowds.
Veneto Province Gov. Luca Zaia condemned the demonstration, calling it “a gesture that risks having consequences for the environment.” He further criticized the protest as “a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility.”
Extinction Rebellion also took aim at Italy’s government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, accusing it of resisting stronger climate measures during the COP30 negotiations in Brazil.
Last month, Israeli forces arrested Thunberga and other activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. (RELATED: Israeli Military Arrests Greta Thunberg After Attempting To Break Gaza Blockade)
Activists told the Associated Press that they believed the flotilla’s size would make it harder for Israeli forces to intercept every vessel.
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EXCELLENT!!!! BRILLIANT!!!! WELL DONE!!!
BRILIANT!!!!!! WELL DONE VENICE!!!!