Venice’s Grand Canal dyed fluorescent green by activists hanging from bridge

10 December 2023 , 21:16

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Members of Extinction Rebellion hang from the Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal, which they had turned green with a non-toxic dye (Image: AP)

Venice's Grand Canal has turned a green hue as part of a protest over the lack of progress at a climate summit.

Italy's branch of Extinction Rebellion were seen hanging from climbing ropes latched onto the Rialto Bridge, which was covered with a banner reading: "COP28: While the government talks, we are hanging by a thread.” COP28 is the 28th meeting of the United Nations Climate Change conference, which has been held since November 30 and will finish on Tuesday at Expo City in Dubai.

During the protest, all boat traffic was halted, and a number of other rivers and canals across Italy, including the Po in Turin and the Tiber in Rome, were also turned green. The mayor of Venice said the protesters - who he described as "eco-vandals" - should face prosecution for their actions.

Their banner criticised the lack of progress at COP28 in Dubai (MvS / SplashNews.com)

Extinction Rebellion said in a statement: “In a few hours, these waters will be back to what they were before. In the meantime, while governments talk, we count the damage and the victims from constant floods and fires.”

XR said the dye they used was harmless and used by businesses to trace items in water. Italy has been the location of a number of protests by climate activists this year.

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Seven members of the Last Generation group poured a vegetable-based charcoal dye into the Trevi Fountain in Rome in May, turning the water feature black. Similarly to protests that popped up across the UK, Italian activists blocked the busiest motorway leading from Rome, causing mayhem for road users.

Earlier this year, a group of Greenpeace protesters were arrested after clambering onto the roof of Rishi Sunak's Yorkshire manor house to protest against new oil and gas drilling.

A gondola cruising on the green Grand Canal (AFP via Getty Images)

Activists scaled the roof of the Grade II listed property at around 6am and blanketed the house in black fabric. Two protesters posed for pictures outside the house with a sign saying: "Rishi Sunak - Oil profits or our future?" It comes after the Prime Minister announced plans for more oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, with more than 100 new drilling licences expected to be approved in the autumn.

The group returned to the ground at around 1.15pm and were taken away in police vans. Two men and two women were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage and public nuisance. Another man was also arrested on suspicion of causing public nuisance. Mr Sunak departed for a family holiday in California yesterday afternoon so was not at his constituency home when the stunt occurred.

Assistant Chief Constable Police Elliot Foskett said: "Shortly after 8am this morning we responded swiftly to reports of protest activity at the Prime Minister's North Yorkshire address. There was no threat to the wider public throughout this incident which has now been brought to a safe conclusion. The Prime Minister and his family were not at the address at the time of the incident."

But a former top officer branded it a "major breach of security". Greenpeace campaigner Phil Evans said activists made sure the Prime Minister's family were not going to be at home before carrying out the protest, which is a response to Mr Sunak saying he would "max out" oil and gas in the North Sea.

Ryan Fahey