Overview

• Extinction Rebellion, a climate activist group, turned Venice's Grand Canal green as a protest against the perceived lack of progress at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
• The group used a harmless fluorescein dye to create the visual effect, which they claim will return the waters to their original state in a few hours.
• Protests of a similar nature also occurred in other Italian cities, with stretches of rivers and canals turned green.
• Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro denounced the activists as 'eco-vandals' and called for their punishment.
• Boat traffic on the Grand Canal was halted during the protest, and safety checks were conducted on the canal water and the recently restored columns of the Rialto Bridge.