From Milan to Bologna, the Extinction Rebellion protest against COP28 colors the rivers green.The mayor of Venice:«They deserve prison» – The videos

Eco-activists have gone into action in major Italian cities.In Venice they poured the same phosphorescent dye into the waters of the Grand Canal

The eco-activists of Extinction Rebellion they went into action in the main Italian cities to protest against the COP28 underway in Dubai and ask for "climate justice" and "a reparation fund for the victims of this crisis".In Milan, environmentalists have colored the waters of the Naviglio di Grande green with a phosphorescent dye.This is fluorescein:«A harmless salt – they write on social media – for people, flora and fauna» and which is used by «geologists, speleologists or even plumbers».The symbol of today's protest, Saturday 9 December, in the Lombardy capital is «a house that is sinking because – explain the activists – we wanted to represent a sinking Italy.Italy – they continue – which is hit by floods and where the government continues to talk and not act."2023 was the year «of extreme climatic events – they continue -, as we saw first in Emilia Romagna and then in Tuscany, passing through a summer with absurd heat peaks which also led to the death of some people.While in the North – they underline – we are seeing glaciers retreating visibly in our mountains;not to mention the storms that uncovered roofs and uprooted trees, leaving a huge impact on the citizens of Milan."And while people «start to feel – conclude the activists – the consequences of the eco-climate crisis on their skin, on their lives, on their territories, governments talk and make fun of us».

Blitz also in Venice, the mayor:«I hope the eco-vandals end up in prison»

In the same hours, Venice also returned to being the setting for the protest of environmentalist groups, who in the early afternoon today - Saturday, December 9th - colored the waters of the Grand Canal green, then lowered themselves with a banner from the Rialto bridge.The mayor of the Venetian capital intervened on the protest, Luigi Brugnaro, according to which eco-activists – defined by himself as "eco-vandals" – should end up in prison.«We had to interrupt the public service as a precaution, given their acrobatics and their antics;this time we are also reporting them for "interruption of public service" and we really hope that they end up in prison", said Brugnaro.

Turin, Bologna, Rome

Even in Turin the waters of the Po were colored with “tracer liquid” green in color which is placed in pipes or drains to signal water leaks.In Bologna some dinghies were released into the Rhine canal which passes through the center of the Emilian capital, known as "little Venice".While in Rome, the Tiber Island was surrounded by the fluorescent green waters of the Tiber.«A harmless dye – we read in the statement from the environmentalist group – to denounce yet another political failure of Cop28 and world governments in combating the climate crisis and the sixth mass extinction.In a few hours - they write -, these waters will return as before.In the meantime, while governments speak, we count the damage and victims of continuous floods and fires."