Venice’s Grand Canal turns bright green amid speculation of activist stunt
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Police are looking into whether Sunday’s action could be a protest by climate change activists.
PHOTO: AFP
ROME - A stretch of Venice’s Grand Canal turned bright green on Sunday, prompting police to investigate amid speculation about a stunt by environmentalists.
Gondoliers could be seen punting through the phosphorescent waters, while tourists took photographs of the green area, from the Rialto Bridge up and along part of the Canal.
The coloured water was first spotted by local residents, said the Veneto region’s president Luca Zaia on Twitter.
“The prefect has called an urgent meeting with the police to investigate the origin of the liquid,” he said.
The Italian fire service said it was helping the regional environmental protection agency take samples for testing.
It is not the first time the Grand Canal has turned green.
In 1968, Argentine artist Nicolas Garcia Uriburu dyed the waters of Venice’s Grand Canal green with a fluorescent dye during the 34th Venice Biennale in a stunt to promote ecological awareness.
Police are looking into whether Sunday’s action could be a protest by climate change activists, said local daily La Nuova Venezia. AFP
