A giant banner insulting Jeff Bezos has appeared in Venice ahead of the billionaire’s highly-anticipated wedding in the Italian city. The wedding – billed to be a lavish affair with a veritable galaxy of stars in attendance – has drawn protests from various quarters.
Some protestors claim that Bezos’ wedding will further overwhelm a city that is already battling overtourism and its adverse effects on the fragile environment. Others are targeting Bezos himself - accusing the Amazon billionaire of not paying employees a fair wage and dodging taxes.
Jeff Bezos, 61, is all set to marry former news anchor Lauren Sanchez, 55, in Venice this week. The two got engaged in 2023.
‘Pay more tax’
On Monday, the international environmental group Greenpeace joined the protests with a giant banner featuring a photograph of a laughing Jeff Bezos. Emblazoned on the banner were the words, “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax”.
“Jeff Bezos pays his staff poverty wages and dodges tax. No wonder he can afford to shut down half of Venice for his wedding this week,” activist group Everyone Hates Elon wrote on Instagram. The banner was deployed at St. Mark’s Square in Venice.
Other protests
{{/usCountry}}“Jeff Bezos pays his staff poverty wages and dodges tax. No wonder he can afford to shut down half of Venice for his wedding this week,” activist group Everyone Hates Elon wrote on Instagram. The banner was deployed at St. Mark’s Square in Venice.
Other protests
{{/usCountry}}According to a report in People magazine, posters ridiculing Jeff Bezos have appeared in several historic sites across Venice. “No Space for Bezos,” reads one such poster, in a nod to Bezos’ spaceflight company Blue Origin.
Last week, protestors also hung a banner on St. Mark’s bell tower with Bezos’ name crossed out.
On the other hand, not everyone is displeased about the wedding and the business it will bring to Venice. According to an Associated Press report, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez will source around 80% of their wedding provisions from Venetian vendors.
“Events like this bring quality tourism to Venice,” said Rosa Salva, the city’s oldest pastry maker, who is confused by the posters of protest that have gone up around Venice. “I don’t see how an event with 200 people can create disruptions. It’s responsible tourism. It’s prestigious that a couple like this, who can go anywhere in the world, are getting married in the city.”
City officials have pledged that services will function normally during the wedding, and issued a denial in late March to reports that the wedding organizers had booked half the city’s water taxis and blocked out rooms at luxury hotels.
(With inputs from AP)