Ravenna, Italy – Members of the Red Rebels of Extinction Rebellion walked along the seafront of Ravenna in a silent procession to raise alarm in a city described as a symbol of dependence on fossil fuels and arms trafficking. Dressed in red with white face paint, they delivered a message against fossil gas investments and weapons trade linked to conflicts in Gaza. Their slogan declared: “Out of Ravenna from fossil fuels and wars.”

On the afternoon of April 19, 2026, the group moved from Punta Marina along Viale dei Navigatori before slowly entering the sea. The Red Rebel Brigade, a performance collective that emerged during early Extinction Rebellion demonstrations in London in 2018, uses slow and silent theatrical marches to highlight ecological crises, social injustice, and war.

The choice of location was presented as intentional, with Ravenna described as a key point for fossil fuel dependence and arms transit. Near the coastline, a regasification facility is set to process and distribute gas through a large pipeline network. Its environmental assessment was completed in 180 days, a timeframe described as extremely fast for such a large project.

Gas is presented as a cleaner alternative to oil and other fossil fuels, but it is also described as mainly methane, a greenhouse gas that can warm the atmosphere about 80 times more than carbon dioxide over 20 years. If leaks occur during extraction, liquefaction, transport, or regasification, even at a rate of 3 percent, the climate benefit compared with coal can be greatly reduced or eliminated.

In the same area, energy companies ENI and SNAM are developing a carbon capture and storage project in the seabed. Critics describe it as a false solution and a technology considered more risky than useful, citing concerns over induced seismic activity, toxicity from leaks, and the use of solvents and reagents. The project was announced in October 2024 without public consultation.

Fossil fuels are also described as central to global conflicts. The port of Ravenna is identified as a hub for arms traffic to countries involved in war, including Israel. A dossier reports a sharp increase in explosive precursors and a doubling of ammunition shipments in 2023 compared with 2024, coinciding with the war in Gaza.

Local coordination groups opposing fossil fuels and arms traffic have organized protests and supported the demonstration. The mobilization is part of wider international climate justice actions, including a voyage toward Santa Marta in Colombia ahead of a global conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels. Further protests are planned, including a nationwide mobilization campaign in early June.

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