By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
IndebtaIndebta
  • Home
  • News
  • Banking
  • Credit Cards
  • Loans
  • Mortgage
  • Investing
  • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Commodities
    • Crypto
    • Forex
  • Videos
  • More
    • Finance
    • Dept Management
    • Small Business
Notification Show More
Aa
IndebtaIndebta
Aa
  • Banking
  • Credit Cards
  • Loans
  • Dept Management
  • Mortgage
  • Markets
  • Investing
  • Small Business
  • Videos
  • Home
  • News
  • Banking
  • Credit Cards
  • Loans
  • Mortgage
  • Investing
  • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Commodities
    • Crypto
    • Forex
  • Videos
  • More
    • Finance
    • Dept Management
    • Small Business
Follow US
Indebta > News > Jeff Bezos’s wedding draws storm of protest in Venice
News

Jeff Bezos’s wedding draws storm of protest in Venice

News Room
Last updated: 2025/06/24 at 2:26 AM
By News Room
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Jeff Bezos’s upcoming Venice wedding has become a lightning rod for protest, as locals disgruntled with overtourism join climate activists to rage against a spectacle that to them epitomises many global ills.

Many of the city’s most exclusive hotels and water taxis are rumoured to have been block booked for a three-day extravaganza this week, as Amazon founder Bezos, one of the world’s richest men, is due to marry TV anchor Lauren Sánchez.

The dates and details are a closely held secret but the carefully restored Scuola Grande della Misericordia is reportedly among the venues. The city has long been a byword for both unsustainable tourism and the risks of climate change, as rising sea levels threaten its Renaissance-era architectural gems.

Local activists have responded by plastering the city walls with “No Space for Bezos” posters — a reference to his space technology investments — and placed banners at sites including the Rialto Bridge and San Giorgio island.

“What is happening here is blatant arrogance,” said Marta Sottoriva, 34, a high school English teacher and activist. “He is exploiting the city in the same way that he has been exploiting workers worldwide to build his empire.” 

On Monday, climate and anti-inequality activists unfurled a vast banner in St Mark’s Square that read, “If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax”. It was quickly removed by police.

“Bezos’ wedding is a symbol of extreme wealth, privilege and a lot of things that are going wrong currently in the world” and taking place in “one of the world’s most climate vulnerable cities”, said Clara Thompson, a Greenpeace campaigner. 

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez © Niklas Halle’n/AFP/Getty Images

Celebrities, cultural luminaries and wealthy patrons regularly descend on Venice’s art and architectural biennials and annual film festivals. In 2014, Hollywood star George Clooney got married to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin there. 

But Bezos’s nuptials have touched a nerve among many Venetians, who allege that conservative mayor Luigi Brugnaro cares more for boosting tourist numbers than improving local residents’ lives.

“Venetians feel betrayed, neglected and forgotten,” said Tommaso Bortoluzzi, a municipal councillor with the opposition Democrat Party. “Many citizens feel they have lost the ability to live in their own city in a calm, serene and traditional way, while Venice has become an open air museum.”

The number of residents living in Venice’s historic centre has dropped from 100,000 in the 1980s to less than 50,000 today, according to Venessia, a website tracking population trends — while hotel beds and tourism rental apartments have surged.

“Year after year, tourism increases, but the city cannot absorb an infinite number of visitors,” Bortoluzzi added. “Venetians feel they are not even receiving the minimum services, even if a lot of resources are coming from tourism.” 

A sticker reading ‘No Space for Bezos’ in Venice
The ‘No Space for Bezos’ has brought together students, unions and activists campaigning for affordable housing and against cruise ships in Venice © Andrea Pattaro/AFP/Getty Images

Lanza & Baucina, the London-based event planner organising the wedding, insists the event has been arranged carefully in view of the city’s fragility.

“Instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimising of any disruption to the city, the respect to its residents and institutions, and the overwhelming employment of locals,” the company said last week.

“Rumours of ‘taking over’ the city are entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals,” the planners said, noting that Bezos had made charitable donations — of an unspecified size — to organisations working to preserve the lagoon.   

Brugnaro, a conservative who has run the city for a decade, has lashed out at the protesters and said “whoever loves Venice will always be welcome”.

But that has not placated the “No Space for Bezos” campaign, which has brought together students, unions and activists campaigning for affordable housing and against cruise ships.

Many say their protests are against tech-driven capitalism and the alleged exploitation of vulnerable gig economy workers. Last year, Italian police seized €121mn from a Milan-based Amazon unit for alleged tax fraud and labour malpractices — charges Bezos’s company denied.

On Saturday, protesters plan to jump into the canals and use their own boats to block water taxis ferrying guests to the wedding.

“The political agenda here continuously blurs the lines between the public good and private interests,” said Sottoriva, who cut her teeth in the successful campaign against cruise ships. “Local residents are seen as obstacles to tourism — obstacles to Venice as a Disneyland theme park.”

Read the full article here

News Room June 24, 2025 June 24, 2025
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Finance Weekly Newsletter

Join now for the latest news, tips, and analysis about personal finance, credit cards, dept management, and many more from our experts.
Join Now
US bank earnings live: BlackRock hits record $12.5tn in assets as results season gets under way

BlackRock’s assets under management climbed to a record $12.5tn in the second…

Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy if Ukraine could hit Moscow, say people briefed on call

Donald Trump has privately encouraged Ukraine to step up deep strikes on…

The small mining company that won a big investment from the Pentagon

James Litinsky made a $100mn bet in 2015 on the distressed debt…

Australia’s PM seeks to balance trade and security tensions in Xi Jinping meeting

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects…

Plan to boost returns from Russian assets ‘expropriation’, warns Euroclear

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the War in Ukraine…

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

You Might Also Like

News

US bank earnings live: BlackRock hits record $12.5tn in assets as results season gets under way

By News Room
News

Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy if Ukraine could hit Moscow, say people briefed on call

By News Room
News

The small mining company that won a big investment from the Pentagon

By News Room
News

Australia’s PM seeks to balance trade and security tensions in Xi Jinping meeting

By News Room
News

Plan to boost returns from Russian assets ‘expropriation’, warns Euroclear

By News Room
News

Nvidia gets nod from Washington to resume sales of H20 China chip

By News Room
News

China’s economy grows 5.2% in second quarter

By News Room
News

Calpers pushes further into private equity after best results in four years

By News Room
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Youtube Instagram
Company
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Press Release
  • Contact
  • Advertisement
More Info
  • Newsletter
  • Market Data
  • Credit Cards
  • Videos

Sign Up For Free

Subscribe to our newsletter and don't miss out on our programs, webinars and trainings.

I have read and agree to the terms & conditions
Join Community

2023 © Indepta.com. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?