Jeff Bezos high-profile wedding in Venice this week has triggered a wave of protest from climate and anti-inequality activists. Venetians voice growing anger over the city’s transformation into a playground for the ultra-rich.
On Monday, Greenpeace Italia and UK-based group Everyone Hates Elon unfurled a 400-square-metre banner in Saint Mark’s Square reading: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.” The message was swiftly removed by police but ignited international attention.
Greenpeace condemned the billionaire’s celebration as a symbol of deepening “social and climate injustice.”
“Bezos embodies an economic and social model that is leading us towards collapse,” the group said in a statement. “Social injustice increasingly goes hand in hand with climate injustice: on one side the arrogance of a few billionaires who have lifestyles that are devastating for the planet, on the other all the people who suffer the damage of the environmental crisis on a daily basis.”
The Amazon founder is reportedly hosting a three-day event with partner Lauren Sánchez, with top hotels and water taxis block-booked for the occasion. While details remain unconfirmed, the Scuola Grande della Misericordia is believed to be one of the main venues.
Venetian reaction to Bezos wedding is fierce
Local reaction has been fierce. Posters reading “No Space for Bezos” have appeared across Venice. Some residents say the event epitomises how tourism and private wealth have overtaken the needs of the city’s population.
“What is happening here is blatant arrogance,” said Marta Sottoriva, a high school teacher and activist told the Financial Times. “He is exploiting the city in the same way that he has been exploiting workers worldwide to build his empire.”
Municipal councillor Tommaso Bortoluzzi of the opposition Democratic Party echoed the frustration, saying, “Venetians feel betrayed, neglected and forgotten. The city is becoming an open-air museum, not a home.”
Venice has seen its historic centre population drop from 100,000 in the 1980s to fewer than 50,000 today, while hotel and short-term rental capacity has surged. Activist groups have also linked the protest to wider concerns about cruise ships, housing costs, and gig economy practices.
Despite criticism, the London-based event organisers Lanza & Baucina insist the wedding is being handled with care. They claim the event was designed to minimise disruption, employ locals, and respect Venice’s fragile ecosystem. They also note Bezos has made undisclosed donations to lagoon preservation projects.
Still, tensions remain high. Demonstrators plan to block water taxis on Saturday by jumping into the canals or using small boats.
“The political agenda here blurs the lines between public good and private interests,” said Sottoriva. “Residents are seen as obstacles to tourism — obstacles to Venice as a Disneyland theme park.”
