by InTrieste
The canals of Venice, usually a symbol of timeless romance and elegance, were roiled by political dissent on Monday as environmental and social justice activists staged a protest against the upcoming wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, media personality Lauren Sanchez.
With the billionaire couple’s high-profile nuptials set to unfold in the lagoon city later this week, Greenpeace Italy and the UK-based group Everyone Hates Elon unfurled a giant banner in Piazza San Marco that read: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.” Police swiftly removed the banner, but the message had already rippled across social media.
The demonstration marked the latest in a string of actions aimed at spotlighting what protesters describe as the disproportionate privileges of the ultra-wealthy, and the complicity of local institutions in enabling their excesses. “Taxing the super-rich like Bezos – along with the fossil fuel and defense industries – is a necessary step to ensure social and climate justice,” Greenpeace said in a statement. “Meanwhile, millionaires like Jeff Bezos can afford to close half the city for days and days, just to celebrate their wedding.”
Activists argue that the event symbolizes broader structural inequalities, accusing the local government of prioritizing elite spectacle over the wellbeing of its residents.
Last week, members of the grassroots collective No Space For Bezos scaled the bell tower of the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore and hung a banner emblazoned with the Amazon founder’s name crossed out in red. In a statement, the group declared: “Venice is not for sale. It is not for rent. It is not the backdrop for the wedding of one of the richest men in the world.”
The collective, which describes itself as a coalition of Venetians angered by the commodification of their city, said it opposes “the celebrations of the global elite, while the city sinks under the weight of luxury tourism, speculation, and the sell-off of common heritage.”
Flyers and posters criticizing the wedding have appeared across the city in recent days. The ceremony, rumored to be attended by celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, Kim Kardashian, and Ivanka Trump, has only further inflamed tensions.
In their messaging, protesters have also taken aim at Venice’s city leadership, accusing officials of enabling what they call a “corrupt administration” that welcomes the global elite while ignoring the everyday needs of residents facing housing shortages, rising costs of living, and the existential threat of climate change-induced flooding.
As gondolas glide through the canals and paparazzi stake out corners of the city in anticipation of the main event, many locals say they feel increasingly alienated from the place they call home.
“Venice is a living city,” said one protester holding a placard near the Rialto Bridge. “It’s not a billionaire’s backdrop.”
