Venice Turns Emerald: Thunberg Fined and Banned After Climate Activists Dye Grand Canal
In a dramatic protest that turned Venice’s iconic waterways a shocking shade of emerald, climate activist Greta Thunberg has been fined and banned from the historic city for 48 hours. The Swedish activist, 22, was among roughly 35 Extinction Rebellion demonstrators who targeted the Grand Canal with a non-toxic green dye, a stunning visual stunt timed to coincide with the conclusion of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil. Thunberg was slapped with a €160 ($172) fine alongside the short-term ban, a swift judicial response to one of the most visually arresting climate actions the canal city has ever witnessed.
The activist group was quick to defend the spectacle, insisting the fluorescent dye was a harmless tracer commonly used in environmental studies to track water flow and leaks. They argued the act was a necessary alarm bell to “draw attention to the massive effects of climate collapse,” emphasizing that Venice, with its rising sea levels and frequent Acqua Alta floods, stands on the front line of the climate crisis. The green waters were complemented by a “Stop Ecocide” banner hanging from the Rialto Bridge and a silent flash-mob of protesters in red veils weaving through tourist crowds, part of a coordinated action across ten Italian cities that also saw fountains and rivers dyed in Genoa, Turin, and Bologna.
The bold protest, however, was met with sharp condemnation from local officials. Veneto Province Governor Luca Zaia lambasted the action as “a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility,” warning that it “risks having consequences for the environment.” The stunt also served as a direct critique of the Italian government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whom Extinction Rebellion accused of resisting stronger climate measures at the recent global summit. As the green dye slowly dissipated, it left behind a deeply divided city—a world heritage site now grappling with the disruptive tactics used to highlight the very forces that threaten its existence.
