Jeff Bezos is learning the hard way that not everyone is celebrating his big day—after locals in Venice staged a protest over his extravagant wedding plans, forcing a venue change just days before the event.
As Jeff Bezos prepared to tie the knot with Lauren Sanchez in one of Europe’s most romantic cities, he didn’t expect to be dodging inflatable crocodiles and activist slogans. But that’s exactly what happened this week, as protesters in Venice launched a dramatic campaign against the billionaire’s wedding celebrations.
Originally slated to host part of their lavish three-day wedding at the 16th-century Scuola Grande della Misericordia, Bezos and Sanchez reportedly relocated the event after activist groups threatened to disrupt canal access and fill the waterways with inflatable crocodiles to block celebrity guests arriving by gondola.
The protest, led by local residents and climate advocacy groups, operated under the slogan “No Space for Bezos,” a pointed jab at his space exploration company Blue Origin. Activists accused Bezos of symbolizing the commercialization and elitism that’s pricing locals out of Venice, a city already strained by tourism, housing shortages, and climate vulnerability.
“Bezos is on the run,” said protest leader Tommaso Cacciari. “This is a crazy victory for a small group of people with no money who went up against one of the richest men on the planet.”
Greenpeace and the British group Everyone Hates Elon joined the campaign, unfurling a massive banner in St. Mark’s Square that read: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.”
Before the backlash peaked, Bezos had already drawn criticism for hosting a foam party aboard his $500 million yacht Koru, docked off the coast of Croatia. Guests, reportedly including Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and Lady Gaga, were photographed laughing, golfing into the sea, and dancing in foam as the yacht prepared to enter Venice.
Meanwhile, more than 90 private jets were expected to land at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport, sparking outrage over the environmental footprint of the affair.
Clara Thompson, a Greenpeace campaigner, criticized the wedding as “a party for billionaires while Venice sinks under climate change and inequality.”
Not everyone in Venice opposed the wedding. Business owners and hoteliers rallied under a counter-slogan: “Yes Venice Can,” arguing the influx of celebrity guests could generate millions in revenue for the local economy.
“We cannot allow a noisy minority to discredit the image of this city,” the group said in a statement. “Venice is a crossroads of culture, and we welcome people, especially those who invest in our city.”
Still, the pressure worked. Security concerns and the threat of disruption led the Bezos team to move key events to a more secure, undisclosed location, although the Koru is still expected to anchor in the Venetian lagoon this week.
The protest has reignited global calls for wealth taxes, with critics pointing to Bezos’ ability to “shut down a city for a wedding” as proof of systemic inequality.
“Governments claim they’re broke,” said a spokesperson for Everyone Hates Elon, “but billionaires can throw multimillion-dollar parties, dodge taxes, and send themselves to space. That’s the problem.”
Whether the wedding still dazzles as planned or becomes a public relations headache, the Jeff Bezos Venice wedding protest has turned what was supposed to be a private celebration into a public flashpoint on wealth, privilege, and accountability.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
Source:https://themusicessentials.com/entertainment/jeff-bezos-faces-wedding-protest-in-venice-over-yacht-party-canal-chaos/