Venetians protest Jeff Bezos’ $20M wedding, accusing the billionaire of turning Venice into a private playground. Basilica closure fuels local anger.
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| Locals protest Jeff Bezos' luxury wedding in Venice, decrying the closure of public spaces and commercialization of the historic city. Image: Collected |
Venice, Italy — June 25, 2025:
What began as a lavish celebration for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez has turned into a flashpoint of protest and resentment in Venice. The couple’s $15–20 million wedding, held over three days from June 23 to 25 on the historic island of San Giorgio Maggiore, has sparked outrage from local residents and activists.
Anchored nearby, Bezos’ $500 million superyacht Koru loomed over the proceedings—symbolic of the wealth and exclusivity critics say is overrunning the iconic Italian city. At the center of the backlash was the temporary closure of the San Giorgio Maggiore Basilica, one of Venice’s most cherished public landmarks, to accommodate the wedding festivities.
Throughout the city, posters, graffiti, and banners bearing slogans like “No Space for Bezos” appeared overnight, while canal boat protests and online campaigns gained momentum. Activists and residents accused authorities of turning Venice into a private stage for the global elite, further exacerbating the city’s well-documented struggles with overtourism, housing shortages, and gentrification.
“This city is not for sale,” declared one protester outside the closed-off basilica. “It belongs to the people, not billionaires looking for Instagram backdrops.”
While Venice has hosted high-profile weddings before—including George and Amal Clooney’s in 2014—locals say the Bezos affair crossed a line. The spectacle, they argue, epitomizes the steady erosion of public access in favor of private indulgence.
Despite the backlash, the event drew an elite guest list and international media attention, highlighting the ongoing tension between preserving Venice’s cultural heritage and catering to luxury tourism. With Democratic institutions increasingly questioned in Italy and across Europe, critics say the symbolism of a tech billionaire commandeering a historic cityscape for a private celebration is more than just optics—it’s a warning.
As the celebrations end, the anger lingers. For many Venetians, the Bezos wedding is not just about a church closure or a luxury yacht—it’s about the fight to reclaim their city from the grip of unchecked commercialization.