Hundreds of protesters filled Venice’s narrow streets Saturday, demonstrating against billionaire couple Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s lavish three-day wedding celebration.
Why It Matters
The demonstration reflects a broader crisis facing Venice as residents grapple with overtourism, skyrocketing housing costs, and climate-induced flooding while wealthy visitors transform their city into a luxury playground.
The Bezos wedding controversy underscores how Venice’s economic dependence on high-end tourism increasingly conflicts with residents’ quality of life and the city’s environmental sustainability.
Reuters estimated the wedding cost between $46 million and $56 million.
What To Know
Bezos and Sanchez exchanged vows Friday evening during a private ceremony on San Giorgio Island, hosting around 200 celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brady, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates, and members of the Kardashian-Jenner family.
The couple stayed at the luxury Aman Venice hotel on the Grand Canal, with the bride reportedly wearing 27 different outfits throughout the weekend, including a custom Dolce & Gabbana mermaid gown.
Protest organizers claimed their demonstration forced Saturday’s final party to relocate from its original venue to the Arsenale, a former medieval shipyard. Bezos donated €1 million ($1.17 million) each to three environmental research organizations working to preserve Venice, though many protesters dismissed this as insufficient compensation for the city’s exploitation.
The wedding’s environmental impact drew particular criticism, with protesters highlighting the contrast between climate concerns and luxury excess. Venice faces constant threats from rising sea levels and flooding, making environmental issues especially sensitive for residents.
The protest, featuring banners reading “Kisses Yes, Bezos No” and “No Bezos, No War,” highlighted deepening tensions between Venice’s tourism economy and its struggling local population of approximately 50,000 residents.
What People Are Saying
Demonstrator Martina Vergnano told the Associated Press on Saturday: “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.”
Venetian Activist Flavio Cogo told AP: “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.”
City Officials defended the wedding as consistent with Venice’s historical tradition as: “An open city that has welcomed popes, emperors and ordinary visitors alike for centuries.”
What Happens Next
The Bezos wedding controversy is likely to intensify ongoing debates about Venice’s tourism policies and resident protections.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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