Protesters fill Venice's streets on final day of Bezos' wedding parties
Hundreds of protesters marched through Venice's central streets today to say 'No' to billionaire Jeff Bezos, his bride and their much-awaited wedding extravaganza, which reached its third and final day amid celebrity-crowded parties and the outcries of tired residents.
On Friday (local time), the world's fourth-richest man and his bride Lauren Sanchez Bezos tied the knot during a private ceremony with around 200 celebrity guests on the secluded island of San Giorgio.
The wedding, however, angered many Venetians, with some activists protesting it as an exploitation of the city by the billionaire Bezos, while ordinary residents suffer from over tourism, high housing costs and the constant threat of climate-induced flooding.
As the two newlyweds prepared for the final party Saturday evening (local time), hundreds of Venetians and protesters from across Italy filled Venice's tiny streets with colourful banners reading 'Kisses Yes, Bezos No' and 'No Bezos, no War'. Venice has around 50,000 residents.
The demonstration contrasted with the expensive wedding bonanza, seen by critics as an affront to the lagoon city's fragile environment and its citizens, overwhelmed by throngs of tourists.
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'We are here to continue ruining the plans of these rich people, who accumulate money by exploiting many other people … while the conditions of this city remain precarious,' said Martina Vergnano, one of the demonstrators.
The protest organizers claimed that their planned protest had forced the relocation of Saturday's party (local time) from a supposed initial location to a former medieval shipyard, the Arsenale.
Bezos donated 1 million euros (NZ$1.93 million) each to three environmental research organizations working to preserve Venice, according to Corila, the Venetian environmental research association.
But many protesters blasted the move as a clear attempt to appease angry residents.
'We want a free Venice, which is finally dedicated to its citizens. … Those donations are just a misery and only aimed at clearing Bezos' conscience,' said Flavio Cogo, a Venetian activist who joined Saturday's protest (local time).
Details of the exclusive wedding ceremony Friday night (local time) were a closely guarded secret, until Sánchez Bezos posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos.
Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth.
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The star-studded guest list included Oprah Winfrey and NFL great Tom Brady, along with Hollywood stars Leonardo Di Caprio and Orlando Bloom, tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates and top socialites, including the Kardashian-Jenner clan.
Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner and their three children also joined the celebrations.
The bride and groom stayed at the Aman Venice hotel on the Grand Canal, where Bezos posed for photos and Sanchez Bezos blew kisses to the press.
'The planet is burning but don't worry, here's the list of the 27 dresses of Lauren Sánchez,' read one protest slogan, a reference to the bride's reported wedding weekend wardrobe. It featured a mermaid-lined wedding gown by Dolce & Gabbana and other Dolce Vita-inspired looks by Italian designers, including Schiaparelli and Bottega Veneta.
The city administration has strongly defended the nuptials as in keeping with Venice's tradition as an open city that has welcomed popes, emperors and ordinary visitors alike for centuries.
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1News
a day ago
- 1News
Protesters fill Venice's streets on final day of Bezos' wedding parties
Hundreds of protesters marched through Venice's central streets today to say 'No' to billionaire Jeff Bezos, his bride and their much-awaited wedding extravaganza, which reached its third and final day amid celebrity-crowded parties and the outcries of tired residents. On Friday (local time), the world's fourth-richest man and his bride Lauren Sanchez Bezos tied the knot during a private ceremony with around 200 celebrity guests on the secluded island of San Giorgio. The wedding, however, angered many Venetians, with some activists protesting it as an exploitation of the city by the billionaire Bezos, while ordinary residents suffer from over tourism, high housing costs and the constant threat of climate-induced flooding. As the two newlyweds prepared for the final party Saturday evening (local time), hundreds of Venetians and protesters from across Italy filled Venice's tiny streets with colourful banners reading 'Kisses Yes, Bezos No' and 'No Bezos, no War'. Venice has around 50,000 residents. The demonstration contrasted with the expensive wedding bonanza, seen by critics as an affront to the lagoon city's fragile environment and its citizens, overwhelmed by throngs of tourists. ADVERTISEMENT 'We are here to continue ruining the plans of these rich people, who accumulate money by exploiting many other people … while the conditions of this city remain precarious,' said Martina Vergnano, one of the demonstrators. The protest organizers claimed that their planned protest had forced the relocation of Saturday's party (local time) from a supposed initial location to a former medieval shipyard, the Arsenale. Bezos donated 1 million euros (NZ$1.93 million) each to three environmental research organizations working to preserve Venice, according to Corila, the Venetian environmental research association. But many protesters blasted the move as a clear attempt to appease angry residents. 'We want a free Venice, which is finally dedicated to its citizens. … Those donations are just a misery and only aimed at clearing Bezos' conscience,' said Flavio Cogo, a Venetian activist who joined Saturday's protest (local time). Details of the exclusive wedding ceremony Friday night (local time) were a closely guarded secret, until Sánchez Bezos posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos. Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth. ADVERTISEMENT The star-studded guest list included Oprah Winfrey and NFL great Tom Brady, along with Hollywood stars Leonardo Di Caprio and Orlando Bloom, tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates and top socialites, including the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner and their three children also joined the celebrations. The bride and groom stayed at the Aman Venice hotel on the Grand Canal, where Bezos posed for photos and Sanchez Bezos blew kisses to the press. 'The planet is burning but don't worry, here's the list of the 27 dresses of Lauren Sánchez,' read one protest slogan, a reference to the bride's reported wedding weekend wardrobe. It featured a mermaid-lined wedding gown by Dolce & Gabbana and other Dolce Vita-inspired looks by Italian designers, including Schiaparelli and Bottega Veneta. The city administration has strongly defended the nuptials as in keeping with Venice's tradition as an open city that has welcomed popes, emperors and ordinary visitors alike for centuries.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Venice protests target lavish Bezos wedding
Mass tourism, impossibly high rents, worker exploitation, inequality and elitism: Venice protests in recent days against Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's high-profile wedding have highlighted growing global grievances. Bezos, 61, the fourth richest person in the world, and 55-year-old journalist Sanchez left their luxury hotel on the Grand Canal on Saturday for a final night of partying, crowning a three-day star-studded wedding extravaganza. The couple exchanged rings on Friday evening on the small island of San Giorgio, across the water from Saint Mark's Square, accompanied by singing from Matteo Bocelli, son of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Jordan's Queen Rania, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and Kim and Khloe Kardashian, as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were among the A-listers present. Saturday's evening bash - wrapping up celebrations for 200 to 250 guests estimated to have cost some $US50 million ($NZ82 million) - was to take place in the Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard in an eastern district of the lagoon city in Italy. Around 1000 people marched against the event on Saturday, groups of activists and residents who object to the wedding and to seeing Venice being gift-wrapped for the uber-wealthy. But local politicians dismissed protesters as a fringe minority. Bezos's fame and Venice's stunning visual backdrop have offered them international visibility which they effectively exploited. "No Space for Bezos" banners draped over the iconic Rialto Bridge and a huge canvas laid out on St Mark's Square urging the tech billionaire to pay more taxes have been seen all over the world. Concerns of greater disruptions forced Bezos and his bride to move their final and biggest celebrity party from the central district to a more isolated venue in the eastern part of the lagoon city. "The idea that the city should be seen as a set, a stage, or an amusement park has been highlighted like never before by Bezos' wedding," Tommaso Cacciari, a frontman for the No Space for Bezos movement, told Reuters. PROTESTS Alice Bazzoli, a 24-year-old university student, called Bezos a "hypocrite" for donating €3 million ($NZ5.8 million) to Venice while flooding its fragile ecosystem with high-polluting private jets and yachts. Bezos and Sanchez have given €1 million each to three Venetian institutions: CORILA, an academic consortium that studies the lagoon, UNESCO's local office, and Venice International University. "I'd love Venice to be tailored for citizens, not for tourists, with affordable housing," Bazzoli told Reuters, complaining that students were being priced out of the market, with the best accommodations offered to visitors. Andrea Segre, a 49-year-old Italian film director born in Venice, said the city was also pushing out ordinary residents. "People aged 25 to 35 - the age group that starts families - cannot afford to live in Venice. The consequence is a lack of diversity and social liveliness." Venice is rapidly depopulating, largely because of the cost of living crisis. Its historic city centre now has fewer than 50,000 residents, compared to more than 100,000 some 50 years ago. The city has hosted scores of other VIP weddings, including that of actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, but the latest luxury nuptials have attracted far greater resentment because of Bezos' corporate and political role. Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has developed ties with United States President Donald Trump. "Bezos is the embodiment of the most absolute wealth gained through the exploitation of everything around you," 28-year-old student Giulia Cacopardo told Reuters in the run-up to Saturday's march. In Italy, the e-commerce giant has faced criticism and strikes from trade unions over labour practices, and scrutiny over tax compliance. Reuters reported in February that Italian prosecutors were investigating alleged tax evasion worth $US1.2 billion. "I would have protested against Bezos even if he had come on a rowboat with just a handful of people ... because he contributed practically, materially and politically to Donald Trump's re-election," protest leader Cacciari said. LAVISH WEDDING At the ceremony the bride wore a high-necked silhouette dress and a tulle and lace veil by Dolce & Gabbana, which she told magazine Vogue was based on Sophia Loren's dress to marry Cary Grant in the 1958 film, Houseboat . Sanchez was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings by Dolce & Gabbana, which, according to Vogue , was lent to her in keeping with the tradition that it brings good luck for a bride to wear something borrowed. Bezos, who is No 4 on Forbes' global billionaires list, donned a black tuxedo and bow tie over a white shirt. Friday's ceremony had no legal status under Italian law, a senior city hall official told Reuters, suggesting the couple may have previously wed legally in the United States to avoid the bureaucracy associated with an Italian marriage. While some residents and activists raged against Bezos as a symbol of inequality and arrogance, Venetian businesses and political leaders welcomed the luxury nuptials, hailing them as major boost for the local economy. "Those who protest are in contradiction with the history of Venice, which is a history of relations, contacts and business," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Reuters. "Bezos embodies the Venetian mentality. He is more Venetian than the protesters," the centre-right mayor said. Bezos got engaged to Sanchez in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
‘Eat the rich': Protesters in Venice condemn Jeff Bezos' lavish wedding
At least 500 protesters have marched through Venice, condemning Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' wedding to journalist Lauren Sanchez, a lavish affair that has drawn backlash in the historic Italian city. 'Bezos, out of the lagoon,' the demonstrators chanted as they wound through the city centre on Saturday (local time), some
