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Greta Thunberg banned from Venice after 'disrespectful act' towards famous Italian city's heritage
Greta Thunberg is reportedly facing a ban from Venice after she was involved in a protest stunt over the weekend.
The climate activist, along with the group Extinction Rebellion, were involved in a significant protest stunt as they attempted to draw attention to their cause across Italy.
In order to highlight the need for governments to address climate change, the collective dyed many of the city's rivers and canals green.
Thunberg, who was seen protesting with the group on Saturday, was fined €150 ($173) and was banned from the city for 48 hours.
She was not the only person to receive the punishment as 35 other protestors were handed the same fine and conditions.
Members of Extinction Rebellion defended their actions, claiming in protest videos that they'd used environmentally harmless dyes to pull off the stunt in order to draw attention to the critical state of climate change.
The group also criticised the Italian government, led by prime minister Giorgia Meloni, for opposing ambitious climate measures at Cop30.
The Italian arm of Extinction Rebellion had shared Instagram posts lambasting the detention of protestors as they defended the need for extreme actions to raise awareness of the dangers facing the planet.
One post read: "On the morning of Saturday 22 November, with XR Udine, XR Trieste and XR Gorizia we dyed the waters of the Grande Canal (Trieste), together with the waters of 10 other Italian cities, to show the ecocide in progress.
"We’ve used fluorescein — a non-toxic, biodegradable compound. Eight people were detained for several hours for an identification certificate despite having immediately handed over the documents at the request of the police and were released with several complaints.
“With the slogan 'Stop the Ecocide', we denounce the ecocidal policies of the Italian Government and call the attention of all people to the devastating effects of the climate collapse.
“Ecocide is the depredation of ecosystems for economic exploitation, the destruction of natural resources brought about by wars and the inertia of governments in addressing climate change.”
Luca Zaia, governor of the Veneto region, criticized the groups actions, claiming it was "a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility".
He added: "It’s a gesture that risks having consequences for the environment."
The stunt has received a mixed reaction from the public with many praising the group for going to great lengths to get their concerns heard and to push governments into taking action, while others have been unhappy with the disruptive nature of many of their stunts.