12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Anti-Jeff Bezos protesters unfurl huge ‘1% ruins the world' banner as A-listers arrive for his ‘wedding of the century'
Furious anti-Jeff Bezos protestors brandished a banner screaming 'the 1% ruins the world' on Thursday as the rich and famous started arriving in Venice, Italy, for the billionaire's lavish wedding.
One activist was spotted scaling a flagpole in front of the Saint Mark's Basilica to unfurl the huge anti-rich banner as the three-day wedding extravaganza kicked off. Cops hauled away at least one in a wheelchair.
A protester being detained by police in Venice after scaling a flagpole in front of the Saint Mark's Basilica Thursday.
James Breeden for NY Post
The scenes unfolded as VIP guests — including Oprah Winfrey and Kim and Khloe Kardashian — started pouring into the city for Bezos' nuptials with Lauren Sanchez.
Some 200 A-listers from Hollywood, politics and finance are expected to attend what's been dubbed 'wedding of the century.'
As the protests continued, a gleeful Bezos was pictured waving from a water taxi as he and his bride-to-be arrived at the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal flanked by two security boats.
With an estimated price tag of roughly $46 million, the wedding has drawn a spattering of protests by groups and local residents who have fumed the event is a sign of the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots.
One activist was spotted scaling a flagpole in front of the Saint Mark's Basilica to unfurl the huge anti-rich banner as the three-day wedding extravaganza kicked off.
James Breeden for NY Post
Dubbed the 'No Space for Bezos' movement — a play on words referring to his bride-to-be's controversial space flight — rallygoers have unfurled a slew of anti-Bezos banners on iconic Venetian sites in recent days.
Local activists have already signaled they'll be staging a more organized protest for Saturday as they aim to obstruct access to canals to prevent guests from reaching the wedding venue.
'It will be a strong, decisive protest, but peaceful,'' Federica Toninello, one of the activists, said. 'We want it to be like a party, with music, to make clear what we want our Venice to look like.'
