Thousands of protesters marched through Venice on the eve of the Venice Biennale's public opening, organized by Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), to demand Israel's exclusion from the event. At least 18 national pavilions—including Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, and Ukraine—participated in a 24-hour strike, shutting down completely or partially. Protesters chanted slogans, waved Palestinian flags, and carried banners reading "no genocide pavilions," while ANGA released a statement with 236 signatories calling for Israel's removal, citing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
This protest marks the largest coordinated action in the Biennale's history, reflecting growing pressure on major cultural institutions to take political stances on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The strike disrupts the Biennale's traditional neutrality and signals that artists and cultural workers increasingly view participation as complicity. The action could set a precedent for future biennials and art fairs, forcing organizers to confront demands for exclusion based on geopolitical controversies.