Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's glamorous Venice wedding hit with protests: Here's why locals are fuming

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's lavish Italian wedding may still be weeks out, but it's already stirring controversy in Venice. Locals are voicing outrage, claiming their city is being "held hostage" by the "richest and most dangerous man in the world," as preparations for the high-profile event disrupt their ecosystem.
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Set for the weekend of June 24, Bezos and Sanchez's highly anticipated wedding in Venice has sparked frustration among locals. Many Venetians accuse the billionaire of transforming their city into a 'playground' for the ultra-wealthy and are reportedly organizing protests to push back against the disruption.
Their wedding is expected to be decorated with various A-list celebrities and politicians, which means there will be a lot of security, street and airspace closures along with a strong police presence right when the city will witness its peak tourist season.
The Laboratorio Occupato Morion, a self-described 'anti-fascist, anti-capitalist, anti-racist and trans-feminist political space' has already made plans to organise a protest against the Amazon founder on Friday in the city which is only at a short walk's distance from St. Mark's Square.
The group also advertised the protest online as they shared flyers with the slogan 'No space for Bezos, No space for oligarchs!' The flyer further read, 'Jeff Bezos thinks he can buy the entire city - let's throw him a party!' along with details of the Friday protest.
The spokesperson of The Laboratorio Occupato Morion group, Alice Bazzoli, told Daily Mail that Friday's protest is just a demonstration which will culminate in a 'big demonstration' on the wedding day.
She continued, 'Tomorrow will mark the first public assembly, an open call to citizens, grassroots movements, and associations to organize demonstrations during Jeff Bezos' stay in Venice for his luxurious wedding.' Bazzoli added, 'We plan to have lots of different small actions in the week before the wedding and to converge in a big demonstration on the day of the wedding.'
She further explained, 'During this period, the city will be held hostage by one of the world's richest men, becoming heavily militarized and deprived of its spaces and services. Bezos has rented an entire island, numerous hotels, taxis, and services to host his party and guests. This will exacerbate the already problematic movement around the city, particularly with the onset of the tourist season.'
She also remarked, 'We cannot accept the presence of such a character in our city, which has a strong anti-fascist tradition, and rejects oligarchs who support authoritarian governments, such as Trump's USA.'