An incident in which a huge cruise ship ran out of control in Venice, smashing a smaller boat and part of the dock, brought big crowds and renewed urgency to a demonstration demanding the big ships be banned from the city.
A demonstration last week drew 5,500 flag-waving Venetians, organized by a group called "No Big Ships." Protests against the ships have been going on for several years, based on damage that waves from the ships is doing to the underwater foundations of the city. There is also anger at their size relative to the historic buildings, and the fact that thousands of cruise passengers visit but do not spend much time or money.
At one point the city acted to ban them, but was overruled. Measures to move them elsewhere in the lagoon have been promised but there is no definite date.
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