Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been slapped with a 48-hour ban from entering Venice, Italy after joining Extinction Rebellion protesters in dyeing the Grand Canal bright green, according to reports.
The Swedish activist, 22, was also fined $172 along with roughly 35 other demonstrators involved in the action, per The Telegraph.
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. The group reportedly insisted the dye posed no ecological threat.
The group also argued the stunt was designed to “draw attention to the massive effects of climate collapse,” and claimed that Venice is among Europe’s most vulnerable cities due to rising sea levels and increasingly frequent flooding.
GRETA THUNBERG’S ALLEGED JAIL COMPLAINTS CALLED ‘BRAZEN LIES’ BY ISRAELI GOVERNMENT
Thunberg’s protest took place just as the COP30 United Nations climate conference ended in Brazil, with Extinction Rebellion coordinating actions in ten Italian cities.
These included dyeing fountains in Genoa and Padova and turning rivers green in Turin, Bologna and Taranto.
FLARING CLIMATE PROTESTS BECOMING MORE CONFRONTATIONAL AS FREE SPEECH TESTED GLOBALLY
Their banner “Stop Ecocide” also hung from the iconic Rialto Bridge in Venice, while a silent flash-mob of protesters dressed in red veils moved through dense tourist crowds.
Veneto Province Gov. Luca Zaia said Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion’s stunt was “a gesture that risks having consequences for the environment.”
Zaia also criticized the action as “a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility.”
Extinction Rebellion had also criticized the Italian government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for resisting stronger climate measures at the Brazilian COP30 event.
