Venice Boots Greta Thunberg After Iconic Canal Turns Neon Green

Greta Thunberg has been hit with a 48-hour ban from Venice and a $175 fine after she and nearly three dozen Extinction Rebellion activists turned the Grand Canal bright green. The demonstration, staged to coincide with the conclusion of the COP30 United Nations climate conference in Brazil, aimed to draw attention to what organizers described as the “massive effects of climate collapse,” according to the Independent.

Activists said the dye used was environmentally safe, but regional leader Luca Zaia condemned the act as “disrespectful” to Venice’s heritage and warned that such actions could put the delicate city at risk. “Vandalism doesn’t protect the environment,” he wrote in Italian on Instagram, as reported by ABC News.

Many tourists appeared more sympathetic to the activists, calling the protest a legitimate reminder of global inaction on climate change. Extinction Rebellion said similar demonstrations took place in ten cities across Italy, including the coloring of fountains in Genoa and Padua and the tinting of rivers in Turin, Bologna, and Taranto. The group also criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, accusing it of opposing strong climate commitments at COP30.