Sanremo 2026 was not just music and entertainment. During the first evening, about ten Extinction Rebellion activists invaded the famous blue carpet of the Ariston theatre, transforming the catwalk of the stars into a stage of denunciation. Security intervened immediately, tearing down banners and taking away the protesters, who are currently in custody, along with some people who were filming the action with their cell phones.
The slogans recited verses inspired by the titles of the competing songs, reinterpreting the titles of the competing songs to remember that culture and art must dialogue with environmental urgency. Phrases like “Stella Stellina, ecocide is approaching“, “Beautiful Sanremo but ‘how annoying’ these sponsors” or “Eni ‘it’s you’ who destroys the planet”, pointing the finger at the main sponsors of the Festival.
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A complaint against greenwashing by sponsors
The Extinction Rebellion protest aims to highlight the role of ENI and Costa Crociere as sponsors of the Festival and their greenwashing strategy, which allows fossil fuel companies to improve their public image without concretely changing their environmental practices.
According to a 2023 Oil Change International report, ENI’s commercial activities produced more net greenhouse gas pollution in 2022 than the entire Italian territory. Despite this, the energy giant continues to sponsor cultural and sporting events, without taking on real responsibilities towards the communities and ecosystems that its impacts directly affect.
Costa Crociere, despite having published a sustainability plan that promises climate neutrality by 2050, continues to promote the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on its ships, mistakenly defining it as “sustainable”.
Activists have underlined how the Sanremo Festival, the soundtrack of Italian history since 1951, cannot be financed by those who threaten the environment. “There is no music on a dead planet“, they declare, highlighting how science has been raising alarms for decades about the consequences of climate-changing emissions, often ignored by governments.
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We cannot forget the planet
Despite the prompt intervention of security, the protest has already had national and international resonance, relaunched by photos and videos shared by demonstrators, forcing festivals and sponsors to face the weight of their choices. Extinction Rebellion reiterates: Big companies cannot use cultural events to clean up their image while the planet pays the price for their activities. Music remains at the center of Sanremo, but science and environmental awareness demand to be heard.
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