Hundreds of climate change protesters staged a sit-in at the Venice Film Festival seeking celebrity support – and they got it.

Roughly 300 protesters arrived at the annual event wearing boiler suits and calling for action on climate change, along with a ban on cruise ships entering the Italian city.

They sat on the red carpet, chanting and waving banners saying: “Our home is on fire” and “No to cruise ships”.

Speaking about the protest, Mick Jagger, who was promoting the thriller The Burnt Orange Heresy, said: “I am glad they’re [protesting] because they’re the ones that are going to inherit the planet.

“We’re in a very difficult situation at the moment, especially in the US, where all the environmental controls that were put in place, that perhaps were just about adequate say for the last 10 years, are being rolled back by the current administration, so much that they will be wiped out.

He said the US, “which is, should be the world leader in environmental controls has lost that and has decided to go the other way”.

“I am glad people feel so strongly about it they want to protest anywhere whether it’s the red carpet or another place.”

Donald Sutherland, also at the festival promoting the movie, said protesters had to “fight harder” and “get as much support as they can”.

He added: “When you’re my age… 85 years old and you have children and grandchildren, you will leave them nothing if we do not vote those people out of office in Brazil, in London and in Washington. They are ruining the world.

“We have contributed to the ruination of it but they are ensuring it.”

A five-day Climate Camp took place in Venice to coincide with the famous film festival, which entered its final day on Saturday.

Chiara Buratti, a member of the Venice anti-cruise ship committee, said the group had been hoping to take advantage of the timing to gain celebrity support.

She added: “We want to address the topic of the climate crisis, we think that it is more important than anything that we can see in the world now.”

Sina Reisch from the German group Ende Gelande, said: “The climate crisis has no borders.

“Why should we stop at some border and just care about some local problems that we have back home?

“We must see that the struggles are connected.”

After several hours of demonstrating, the protesters left the event early on Saturday afternoon.

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