Despite promise of ban, first cruise ship sails through Venice since start of pandemic. Mick Jagger, Tilda Swinton add support to protest against future sailings
- The cruise ship passed through the city’s Giudecca Canal this week despite recent government promises to stop this traffic
- Celebrities have added their weight to a protest about the visit of large ships, signing an open letter to Italian and Venetian authorities
Early risers in Venice were surprised on Thursday to see a cruise ship nosing down the Giudecca Canal for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, despite repeated government pledges to reroute such huge vessels due to safety and environmental concerns.
Its arrival came two years and a day after the MSC Opera struck a dock and a tourist river boat in the same canal, an event that underlined safety concerns among anti-cruise ship campaigners.
Protests are amping up against the renewal of cruise traffic, just 10 weeks after Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, vowed a definitive stop to the passage of big ships through the heart of the city.
They include an open letter by the Venice Heritage non-profit organisation, signed by celebrities including musician Mick Jagger, actress Tilda Swinton, filmmaker Wes Anderson and director Francis Ford Coppola.