Thousands protest against cruise ships in Venice
Venice
09 Jun 2019
/ 07:54
VENICE. There were thousands of people on the streets of Venice on Saturday demanding that large cruise ships be kept out of the lagoon.
The protest demonstration followed last Sunday's accident in the Giudecca Canal when a cruise ship crashed into a dock, hitting a moored tourist boat and resulting in injuries to five people.
This wasn't the first demonstration - demands have been increasing over the last few years that towns which are UNESCO Heritage Sites should be protected. In 2016 there was a large 'floating' demonstration with thousands of Venetians holding balloons and banners on which were written No Grandi Navi (No large ships).
The recent accident was the final straw - and Venetians saw their fears become reality.
According to the Italian police, about 8,000 people took part in the demonstration holding banners with slogans such as 'Keep the big boats out of the lagoon', 'We aren't for sale' and 'Shame on you monsters!'. Venetians and environmental organisations are asking the authorities to keep the cruise ships at a safe distance. They say that they are a danger to the town and its monuments, pollute the water, destroy the lagoon's ecosystem, are a danger to the town's foundations and destroy its beauty.
The protest rally ended up in the famous Piazza San Marco - even though demonstrations haven't been allowed there for 25 years. Police, however, allowed the demonstrators into the Piazza in order to avoid any incidents.
There were members of the Italian government there to support the demonstrators - declaring that they were working to find a solution to the problem - as well as representatives from UNESCO, which has recently recommended that large ships should moor at the Port of Marghera on the opposite bank.
See more photos here.
This wasn't the first demonstration - demands have been increasing over the last few years that towns which are UNESCO Heritage Sites should be protected. In 2016 there was a large 'floating' demonstration with thousands of Venetians holding balloons and banners on which were written No Grandi Navi (No large ships).
The recent accident was the final straw - and Venetians saw their fears become reality.
According to the Italian police, about 8,000 people took part in the demonstration holding banners with slogans such as 'Keep the big boats out of the lagoon', 'We aren't for sale' and 'Shame on you monsters!'. Venetians and environmental organisations are asking the authorities to keep the cruise ships at a safe distance. They say that they are a danger to the town and its monuments, pollute the water, destroy the lagoon's ecosystem, are a danger to the town's foundations and destroy its beauty.
The protest rally ended up in the famous Piazza San Marco - even though demonstrations haven't been allowed there for 25 years. Police, however, allowed the demonstrators into the Piazza in order to avoid any incidents.
There were members of the Italian government there to support the demonstrators - declaring that they were working to find a solution to the problem - as well as representatives from UNESCO, which has recently recommended that large ships should moor at the Port of Marghera on the opposite bank.
See more photos here.
