Before Nerd02 goes on a warpath, I should clarify the dyes were temporary
Link to the article here if anyone's interested in reading: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italian-climate-change-protesters-turn-venices-grand-canal-green-2023-12-09/
Appreciate the thought, but apparently
Boat traffic on the Grand Canal was halted on Saturday during the protest, and the canal water and the recently restored columns on the Rialto Bridge had to be checked on safety grounds, the mayor said.
That's enough to piss me off, I think I WILL go on a warpath
I understand the reason why they pull stunts like this and share their concerns for the environment, but the methods these activists use (blocking majour traffic ways, vandalizing monuments, albeit temporarily) really isn't the way to go. All you accomplish with stunts like this is antagonizing even those who otherwise would have supported you.
Since they started messing with our art, I have yet to meet a single Italian who is sympathetic towards these activists (aside from other activists, of course).
Whatever they do it seems to piss people off. And the decades of small scale protests prior to this have gone completely ignored.
Meanwhile a literal oil sheik presides over the latest climate talks and you hear nothing beyond "some people feel there may be a conflict of interest"
I feel your rage is sorely misdirected.
Two wrongs doesn't make one right: I can be critic of both Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) activists as well as the governments that fail to implement sensible climate policies.
I have always voted for pro-nuclear parties, don't own a car, walk for any distance shorter than 3km within my city and take the bus / tram otherwise. Within my city I vote for candidates that push for reductions of car infrastructure and improvement to public parks and transit. I like to think I'm on the right side in this battle.
Still, I don't think anything justifies activists who damage art just to make their voices heard. Right battle, wrong strategy.
I won't say I think these are the best tactics but "two wrongs"... One side is causing inconvenience while the other is actively making the planet unliveable. They're tactics of desperation.