Activists Cover Conad Headquarters In Posters Over Woodland Demolition

Activists covered Conad’s national headquarters with protest posters overnight Thursday, October 1, as Extinction Rebellion called for a boycott of the supermarket chain over the planned demolition of Bosco Ospizio in Reggio Emilia.

The posters were placed in protest against work that will clear the woodland to make way for a new supermarket. Extinction Rebellion said the action was intended to show solidarity with the Bosco Ospizio Assembly, a citizen group that has maintained a permanent protest at the site since August 3.

Work began Wednesday, September 30, when excavators and workers entered the woodland accompanied by around 50 officers from the State Police, local police and Carabinieri. Trees were cut down despite a Council of State hearing on an appeal against the project scheduled for the following week.

Extinction Rebellion criticized the operation during what it described as Italy’s hottest summer on record. The group cited five heatwaves in Emilia-Romagna during summer 2026, along with 32 days when temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius.

The activists also said some of their members from Reggio Emilia entered the construction area to peacefully resist the work and seek dialogue with site management before being detained and taken to police headquarters. Extinction Rebellion called on the public to stop shopping at Conad, describing the planned removal of the woodland as an environmental crime.