Protests erupt again in Venice over Bezos and Sanchez's lavish wedding
Saturday marked the last day of celebrations for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sanchez's wedding, estimated to have cost over €42 million.
The fete on Saturday followed Friday's reception on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where Bezos and his wife tied the knot during a private ceremony with around 200 celebrity guests, including Leonardo DiCaprio, the Kardashian sisters, Tom Brady, Orlando Bloom, Ivanka Trump and Bill Gates.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people demonstrated on Saturday through the streets and canals of Venice against the union being celebrated in Venice.
The protest organised by the "No space for Bezos" committee started from Venice's railway station and reached Campo Erbario at the foot of the Rialto Bridge.
Protesters from across the region of Veneto and Italy gathered with inflatables and placards to voice their opposition to the wedding of the billionaire and the US journalist.
On Saturday, it was also VIP-hunting in Venice, as several guests took the opportunity to visit the city's most iconic landmarks.
Demonstrations against Bezos's wedding
The protests had already begun in the days leading up to the wedding, as the couple and their guests arrived in the Venetian lagoon.
On Friday night, the eve of the ceremony, the message "No kings, no Bezos/f**k oligarchs" was projected onto the bell tower in St Mark's Square.
On Wednesday, activists paraded a float along the Grand Canal with a dummy of Bezos clinging to an Amazon box, his fists full of fake dollars.
On Monday, the activists joined Greenpeace and the British group 'Everyone Hates Elon', which destroyed Teslas in protest against Elon Musk, and unfurled a large banner in St Mark's Square against tax breaks for billionaires.**
The banner read: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more taxes'.
Why are there protests against Bezos in Venice?
Interviewed by Euronews, Marta Sottoriva, organiser of the No Space for Bezos campaign, said that the protest was not against the wedding itself, but against what it symbolises for Venice.
"We are not protesting against weddings, but against the vision of Venice as a city where you only come to consume," Sottoriva said.
According to the activist, Bezos is a symbol of "wealth built on the exploitation of the many," citing Amazon's opposition to unionisation and recalling the billionaire's presence at US President Donald Trump's inauguration.
Initially, the couple had planned to celebrate the wedding at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, but the event was moved due to protests.
The three-day event concluded with a grand masquerade ball at the historic Arsenale, featuring performances by Lady Gaga and Elton John.
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