Violent clashes break out in Venice over 'absurd' €5 entrance fee' for ... trends now
Venice was rocked by violent clashes today between police and protestors rallying against a contentious new 'tourist tax' on short stay visitors.
Vibrant photos from the historic canals and narrow alleyways of the Italian city showed demonstrators armed with signs and banners expressing contempt towards the unique new policy aimed at clamping down on overtourism in busy periods.
Amid the furore, it was business as usual for Venice's gondoliers, pictured ferrying a group of tourists through the city as they snapped photos of the burgeoning protests around them.
Critics maintain that the €5 (£4.30) fee, in effect from today until May 5, and on weekends until July 14, is unlikely to put a significant dent in the circa 30 million trips made to Venice each year - and could backfire by tarnishing the city's public image.
In a surprising statement, former mayor Massimo Cacciari went so far as to suggest tourists should flat-out refuse to pay the 'absurd' entrance fee, arguing they already 'pay for everything'.
Here today, gondola tomorrow: Venice officials have just introduced the new policy aimed at cutting back the number of short-stay tourists during the busiest days of the year
People clash with police as they protest against the introduction of the registration and tourist fee in Venice, Italy, April 25, 2024
Members of social centers confront police officers during a demonstration in Piazzale Roma against the introduction of an entrance fee to the city for day-trippers, in Venice, 25 April
'No to the ticket!' reads one banner in the Piazzale Roma. 'Yes to houses and services for all'
Cacciari noted in a statement to Adnkronos news agency that day visitors already pay 'three times as much as residents' for public transport in the city, and that travellers all contribute to the longevity of Venice's restaurants and museums.
In scathing remarks, he added that he would 'love to see' city authorities 'justify in a court the legitimacy of imposing a tax on entering the city'.
'What are they going to do, block people's movement, send out the police to ask to see everyone's papers?
Despite pleas from residents groups to rethink the scheme, Venice today become the first city in the world to charge an entry fee for day-tripper tourists, aimed at reducing the number of short-stay visitors who cause unmanageable congestion in peak times.
The so-called 'tourist tax' has been controversial, with several residents' committees and associations planning
