Community activists “No Grandi Navi” (“No big ships”) during a protest
Moscow. June 6. INTERFAX.RU – Residents of Venice came out to protests against cruise ships after the liner moored in the city for the first time in 17 months, writes The Guardian.
The 92-ton MSC Orchestra carried 650 passengers before departing for Bari, southern Italy, on Saturday.
Protesters against cruise ships in Venice claim they were “duped” by the Italian government, which banned huge ships from docking at St. Mark's Square. Residents were taken by surprise Thursday when a cruise ship sailed into the city for the first time since the pandemic, despite Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government announcing that ships would be barred from entering the historic center.
The ban is opposed by the “Si Grandi Navi” (Yes to Big Ships) movement, which supports thousands of people in the area who work in the cruise industry and who are out of work due to the pandemic.
At the end of March, the government announced that cruise ships would be prohibited from passing by St. Mark's Square and docking in the historic center. It was planned that the ships would be redirected to the industrial port of Marghera, while the construction of a new cruise terminal was planned. The decree was approved by the lower house of parliament last month, and culture minister Dario Franceschini reiterated that ships “as tall as apartment buildings” would no longer dock in Venice.
Tourists have begun filling the narrow streets of Venice again after coronavirus travel restrictions were eased in mid-May. Before the pandemic, the city received about 28 million visitors a year.
