Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been handed a 48-hour ban from the city of Venice and fined after taking part in a protest that saw the waters of the Grand Canal turned a vivid green. The demonstration, organised by the environmental group Extinction Rebellion, took place on 24 November 2025 and involved around 35 activists including Thunberg.
Participants allegedly poured a non-toxic tracer dye into the canal, transforming its water into a striking green hue. The action was accompanied by a banner reading “Stop Ecocide” strung from the historic Rialto Bridge. Some demonstrators, dressed in red with veiled faces, paraded slowly through the city’s canals and tourist crowds in a symbolic display aimed at highlighting what they described as the “massive effects of climate collapse.”
The protest was timed to coincide with the conclusion of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, a summit whose final accord failed to include language mandating restrictions on fossil fuels, a failure protesters said illustrated the weak global commitment to curbing climate change.
Venetian authorities moved swiftly. The regional governor condemned the demonstration as “a disrespectful act towards our city, its history and its fragility.” As a consequence, Thunberg and all other activists involved in Venice were issued with a temporary exclusion order and fined €150 each.
Extinction Rebellion defended the stunt as peaceful and symbolic, emphasising that the dye used was commonly employed in environmental studies and posed no ecological threat. They argued the spectacle was designed to jolt public and political attention toward the climate emergency and the perceived ongoing protection of fossil-fuel interests by governments.
However, many local officials and residents condemned the act as reckless and damaging to Venice’s fragile heritage. Critics warned that even non-toxic dye might unsettle the delicate ecological balance of the lagoon city or harm its historic infrastructure.
For Thunberg, this is the latest in a string of high-profile actions. Earlier in 2025 she joined a humanitarian flotilla attempting to reach Gaza, which ended in her detention and deportation. The Venice protest marks another example of her willingness to engage in confrontational, visually striking activism to draw attention to global issues.
The swift ban and fine send a clear signal: city authorities in heritage centres like Venice are unlikely to tolerate dramatic protest tactics that, even if symbolic, risk upsetting public order or damaging the city’s historic environment.
Whether the protest will succeed in reigniting urgent debate about fossil fuels and climate policy remains to be seen. For now, Venice has drawn a firm line: symbolic actions may make headlines, but they will come at a cost.
