![A "No Jeff Bezos wedding" protest poster is attached on a wall in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 12, 2025. [Luca Bruno / AP]](https://www.thepostnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot_26-6-2025_174549_www.dallasnews.com-1.jpeg)
A "No Jeff Bezos wedding" protest poster is attached on a wall in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 12, 2025. [Luca Bruno / AP]
On Wednesday, Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez arrived in Venice ahead of their star-studded multi-day wedding celebration. However, their arrival was met with frustration and resistance from locals, who view the extravagant affair symbol of the growing wealth inequality as the ultra-rich live in grandeur, while working-class residents are priced out of their city.
The Bezos-Sanchez 3-day wedding, estimated to cost between $64 million and $76 million, has ignited protests from various Venetian groups, including housing advocates, environmental activists, and university organizations. These groups have united under the banner “No Space for Bezos,” voicing their discontent over the increasing commodification of Venice and the prioritization of wealthy tourists over residents’ needs.
In response to these protests, organisers have moved the planned post-wedding party on June 28 to a shipyard on the outskirts of Venice, rather than the 14th-century Grande Scuola Misericordia in central Venice, as initially planned. This decision came after activists threatened to block canals with inflatable crocodiles to prevent guests from reaching the venue.
While celebrity weddings in Venice are not uncommon, the Bezos-Sanchez celebration has sparked unusual levels of resistance. This is largely because this wedding came at a time when anti-tourism protests are on the rise across Europe, with locals in cities like Venice, Barcelona, and Lisbon calling for more regulation amid soaring housing costs and dwindling local services.
Activists have also cited Bezos’ political affiliations and Amazon’s ongoing tax controversies as reasons for their outrage. A massive banner in St. Mark’s Square read, “If you can afford to rent Venice, you can afford to pay taxes.” Tommaso Cacciari, a key figure in the successful campaign to ban mega cruise ships from central Venice, called Bezos “an ultra-billionaire who sat next to Donald Trump during the inauguration”. He says Bezos played a key role in Trump’s re-election, therefore, he is contributing “in a direct and heavy way to this new global obscurantism.”
Despite mounting criticism, celebrity guests continue to arrive. Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, and Kim and Khloé Kardashian are among the VIP attendees already photographed in Venice ahead of the celebration. Around 200 high-profile guests are expected over the course of the weekend.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14850725/gayle-king-venice-jeff-bezos-lauren-sanchez-wedding.html
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has dismissed concerns calling the wedding “an honour” for the city. “Venice once again reveals itself to be a global stage,” he told The Associated Press, adding that he hoped to meet Bezos while he was in town.
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