Overview
- A 24-hour strike set for Friday targets Israel’s participation, with the Art Not Genocide Alliance coordinating actions alongside Italian unions and a march planned on Via Garibaldi.
- Preview-day protests on Wednesday drew hundreds outside Israel’s pavilion, and activists from Pussy Riot and FEMEN staged a smoke-filled action at Russia’s building.
- Organizers kept Russia’s pavilion open only for the May 5–8 press previews, then closed it to the public for the full run with video projected on its exterior to comply with EU sanctions.
- The European Commission warned that hosting Russia could breach sanctions and threatened to suspend or terminate a roughly €2 million grant, as Italy’s culture authorities dispatched inspectors.
- The international jury resigned after saying it would not consider pavilions from states whose leaders face ICC charges, and the Golden Lions were replaced by visitor-voted prizes to be announced on November 22.