Greta Thunberg Banned from Venice After Grand Canal Turns Bright Green in Climate Protest

Venice, Italy — 25 November 2025

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been handed a 48‑hour ban from Venice and fined around €150 after joining an Extinction Rebellion protest that turned the city’s Grand Canal a luminous green, in a high‑profile action timed to coincide with the end of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. ^[1]

Grand Canal dyed bright green: On Saturday 22 November, Extinction Rebellion activists – with Thunberg among them – poured fluorescent dye into Venice’s Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge, turning the water an intense green as tourists and gondoliers looked on. ^[2]
48‑hour expulsion order and fines: Local authorities issued an urban DASPO (a short‑term expulsion order) banning Thunberg and 36 other activists from the Venice municipality for 48 hours, alongside administrative fines of €150 each (about £130 / $170). ^[3]
Non‑toxic dye, no pollution charges: Extinction Rebellion says it used fluorescein, a dye commonly used in hydrological studies. Fire brigade tests found no toxic effects, and no environmental crime has been alleged, though the protest is being pursued as an unauthorized demonstration. ^[4]
Part of a nationwide “Stop Ecocide” campaign: The Venice action was one of a wave of coordinated protests in up to ten Italian cities – including Genoa, Bologna, Padua, Turin and Taranto – targeting lakes, rivers and fountains to protest what activists call Italy’s “ecocidal policies” and its stance at COP30. ^[5]
Fierce political backlash: Veneto regional governor Luca Zaia condemned the stunt as a disrespectful gesture towards a fragile UNESCO World Heritage city, while some tourists and supporters argued it was a legitimate way to highlight rising climate risks and Venice’s vulnerability to flooding. ^[6]

What Happened on the Grand Canal?

Shortly after mid‑morning on Saturday, a group of around three dozen activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) gathered on and around Venice’s famous Rialto Bridge as part of a protest branded “Stop Ecocide.” Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, 22, was among them. ^[7]

From the bridge and from boats below, protesters emptied containers of fluorescent green dye into the Grand Canal. Within minutes, the water beneath the bridge transformed into a surreal, bright green ribbon cutting through one of Europe’s most iconic cityscapes. ^[8]

Photos and videos shared on social media show gondolas and vaporetti (water buses) moving through the glowing water, while on the bridge above, activists unfurled a large banner reading “Stop Ecocide” and staged a slow, silent procession dressed in red with veils, a recurring XR visual meant to symbolise a planet in mourning. ^[9]

XR says the Venice action was carefully planned to be visually disruptive but physically harmless. The group stated that the dye was fluorescein, a tracer commonly used by engineers and environmental scientists to monitor water flows and detect leaks. ^[10]

Italian coverage indicates that firefighters and environmental agencies took water samples; initial results supported the group’s claim that the substance had no harmful ecological impact, and no charges of environmental pollution have been filed. ^[11]

The Penalty: 48 Hours Out of Venice

Venice’s response was swift. Local police issued what Italian authorities call a “DASPO urbano” – an urban expulsion order – to Thunberg and the other participants. The order bars them from entering the city for 48 hours. ^[12]

According to regional and local reports:

Greta Thunberg and 36 activists were identified by the Digos (Italy’s political and intelligence police) and given the DASPO. ^[13]
Each activist received a €150 administrative fine for breaching public order and staging an unauthorized demonstration. ^[14]
Drums, banners and sound equipment were seized as part of the police operation. ^[15]

International outlets have reported the penalties in local currencies – roughly £130, or about $170, for Thunberg and each of the other activists, and a 48‑hour ban on re‑entering Venice. ^[16]

Italian media also report that the activists have been referred to prosecutors for taking part in an unapproved public demonstration, which may lead to further legal proceedings, although any potential criminal charges are likely to focus on public order rather than environmental damage. ^[17]

Why Venice – and Why Now?

The protest was designed as a direct response to COP30, the UN climate summit that just concluded in Belém, Brazil. Extinction Rebellion accuses the Italian government of helping to weaken the final agreement by resisting stronger language on fossil fuel phase‑out. ^[18]

COP30 ended over the weekend with a compromise deal that:

Boosts funding to help vulnerable countries adapt to climate impacts
Pledges to triple adaptation finance and strengthen future climate targets
Stops short of a clear, binding plan to phase out fossil fuels, despite a push from more than 80 countries ^[19]

For activists, this gap between scientific warnings and political action is precisely the point.

In their statements, XR linked the Venice action to what they call “ecocidal policies” – decisions they argue prioritise fossil fuels and short‑term economic interests over long‑term planetary stability. The green dye was framed as a way to make the consequences of those policies literally visible in a city already on the front line of sea‑level rise. ^[20]

Venice, built on low‑lying islands and already grappling with more frequent acqua alta floods, is often cited as a symbol of cultural heritage at risk from climate change. Scientific studies suggest relative sea level in the lagoon has risen several tens of centimetres since the late 19th century and could climb by half a metre or more by 2100, even under moderate emissions scenarios. ^[21]

A Coordinated Wave of Green

The Grand Canal stunt was not an isolated action. Extinction Rebellion coordinated a day of protests across Italy, using the same fluorescent dye to colour:

Fountains in Genoa and Padua
Sections of rivers or canals in Turin, Bologna, Taranto and other cities
Lakes and waterways in additional locations, with XR counting up to ten Italian cities in total ^[22]

In Venice, the visuals were amplified by a choreographed flash mob: activists in flowing red garments and veils moved slowly through packed tourist streets, before converging at the Rialto area where the water was turning green below them. ^[23]

The choice of colour and locations was deliberate. Fluorescent green dye has become a recurring motif in Italian climate protests – used previously in 2023, when parts of the Grand Canal turned bright green during a different Extinction Rebellion action timed to COP28 in Dubai. Authorities later confirmed the presence of fluorescein in those earlier incidents as well. ^[24]

Saturday’s protest explicitly referenced that earlier action, with XR arguing that two years and multiple climate summits later, the gap between promises and implementation has only grown. ^[25]

Officials Call It “Disrespectful” – Supporters Call It Necessary

Reactions have been sharply divided.

Political leaders’ backlash

Luca Zaia, governor of the Veneto region, strongly condemned the protest, describing it as disrespectful to Venice’s history and “fragility” and warning it could have environmental consequences despite the activists’ assurances. ^[26]

Italian officials and some commentators have used phrases such as “vandalism” and “eco‑extremism,” arguing that targeting a UNESCO World Heritage city – already struggling with mass tourism, flooding and subsidence – crosses a line between legitimate protest and reckless spectacle. ^[27]

Authorities also stress that disruptive actions force emergency services to divert resources and can create public safety risks in crowded, infrastructure‑dependent cities like Venice.

Mixed response from locals and tourists

On the ground, reaction has been more mixed. Interviews reported by Italian and international media include both residents and visitors who described the green water as unsettling but “effective,” saying it drew attention to Venice’s vulnerability and the perceived failure of world leaders at COP30 more effectively than yet another march or petition. ^[28]

Others expressed frustration that activists keep targeting cultural landmarks, arguing that those who love Venice should avoid doing anything that could even symbolically damage it.

This divide reflects a broader global debate: how far is “too far” when it comes to disruptive climate protest, especially when the target is cultural heritage rather than fossil fuel infrastructure directly?

Is the Green Dye Dangerous?

Despite dramatic imagery, environmental data so far suggest the dye itself is not harmful:

Extinction Rebellion says it used fluorescein, a water‑soluble tracer commonly employed in plumbing, hydrology and environmental engineering to track water flows. ^[29]
Analyses cited by Italian local media and firefighters indicate no toxic or long‑term ecological effects from the quantities released in the Grand Canal, and no specific environmental crime has been alleged in relation to the substance. ^[30]

That said, officials argue that even non‑toxic substances can have short‑term impacts on aquatic life or water infrastructure, and that large‑scale unsanctioned releases set a problematic precedent.

Critics also contend that once such tactics become common, it becomes harder for authorities to distinguish a harmless dye from a genuinely hazardous spill in real time.

Venice Has Seen Green Water Before

Saturday’s protest was the latest chapter in an evolving story of Venice, climate activism and coloured water:

May 2023: A phosphorescent green patch appeared near the Rialto Bridge, triggering an investigation and speculation about an environmental stunt. Tests later revealed fluorescein in the water. ^[31]
December 2023: Extinction Rebellion claimed responsibility for dyeing Venetian waterways green during protests against COP28, along with similar actions in other Italian cities. ^[32]
April 2024: A separate incident saw French performance artists pour red and green organic dyes into the canal as part of an art project, again prompting concern from authorities. ^[33]
November 2025: The latest “Stop Ecocide” protest repeats the fluorescent transformation of the Grand Canal, now with Greta Thunberg prominently involved and the action directly tied to COP30’s outcome. ^[34]

For Venetian officials, this pattern looks like an escalation; for activists, it is a deliberate strategy to maintain pressure as each successive climate summit fails to fully confront fossil fuels.

Greta Thunberg’s Escalating Clashes with Authorities

The Venice ban is the latest in a growing list of confrontations between Greta Thunberg and authorities worldwide.

In recent years, Thunberg has:

Been detained in the Netherlands, twice in a single day, for taking part in road‑blocking protests against fossil fuel subsidies in The Hague. ^[35]
Faced arrests and fines in other European countries for civil disobedience linked to climate campaigns. ^[36]
Most recently, been detained in Israel after joining the Global Sumud Flotilla, a Gaza‑bound aid convoy. She and other activists allege mistreatment and “torture” in Israeli custody – claims that Israeli authorities strongly deny, saying detainees were treated lawfully and given access to basic needs and legal counsel. ^[37]

Supporters argue that these confrontations underscore her willingness to put her own liberty at risk for climate and human‑rights causes. Critics say her involvement in polarising campaigns – from highway blockades to the Gaza flotilla – has transformed her from a symbol of youth climate concern into a lightning rod in wider political culture wars.

The Venice episode is likely to feed that narrative: to some, she is a courageous activist taking non‑violent risks; to others, a disruptive figure targeting beloved public spaces for publicity.

Venice, Tourism and the Battle Over Protest Tactics

The clash in Venice is about more than dye and fines. It taps into deeper questions about how a city that depends heavily on tourism – yet is acutely vulnerable to climate change – should handle disruptive protest.

Researchers warn that rising seas, subsidence and increasingly frequent storm surges threaten much of Venice with severe flooding by the end of the century, even with defences like the MOSE barrier in place. ^[38]

At the same time, mass tourism and the pressures of maintaining a living city in a fragile lagoon ecosystem have prompted authorities to impose new rules, including entrance fees for day‑trippers and strict enforcement against behaviour seen as disrespectful or dangerous. Recent years have seen tourists fined and temporarily banned for activities like swimming in the canals or jumping from bridges. ^[39]

Into this tense mix comes a protest that is:

Visually spectacular
Designed to disrupt business‑as‑usual
Explicitly framed as a warning about the same climate forces threatening Venice’s survival

For city officials, the risk is that if such stunts become routine, Venice’s carefully managed image – and its delicate lagoon ecosystem – will suffer. For activists, the risk of not escalating is that Venice, and places like it, may literally disappear beneath the water while leaders argue over wording at climate summits.

What Happens Next?

In the immediate term:

Thunberg and the other activists must respect the 48‑hour DASPO, keeping them out of the Venice municipality until it expires. ^[40]
They may face further legal proceedings related to holding an unauthorized demonstration, though any penalties beyond fines and short‑term bans remain unclear. ^[41]

Politically and symbolically, however, the story is unlikely to fade quickly:

Environmental groups are already using the dramatic images from Venice to argue that COP30’s compromise – more money for adaptation but no firm path to end fossil fuels – is unacceptable. ^[42]
Opponents of disruptive protest are seizing on the incident as evidence that climate activism is increasingly targeting cultural heritage and ordinary people rather than fossil‑fuel infrastructure. ^[43]

As the green fades from the Grand Canal, the underlying tension remains: between a world‑famous city fighting to stay above water, and a generation of activists who believe that only dramatic, disruptive action will stop it – and many other places – from sinking.

Greta Thunberg disgracefully banned from Venice after dying canal green in protest

Watch this video on YouTube.

References