A poster calling for protests against the Bezos-Sanchez wedding set for June in Venice. (image-reddit/Sanpolo-Art-Gallery)
Venice, Italy: As billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez prepare to tie the knot in an opulent ceremony in Venice, their celebration has become the subject of growing protests, with locals and activists accusing the event of symbolising the city’s growing inequality and unchecked overtourism.
Bezos, the Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post, and Sánchez, a former news anchor and licensed pilot, got engaged in 2023 after four years of dating. Their wedding, set for late June, has been cloaked in secrecy. Still, reports of a multimillion-dollar, multiday affair drawing hundreds of guests to the fragile lagoon city have sparked controversy in a city already straining under the weight of global tourism.
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Venetian officials have denied earlier reports that the event would disrupt city life with excessive bookings for gondolas and water taxis. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro reassured the public that only around 200 guests were expected — a manageable number for a city accustomed to hosting high-profile events, including George and Amal Clooney’s 2014 wedding.
“We are mutually working and supporting the organisers to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,” Brugnaro said, according to the Associated Press.
“No Space For Bezos” (image credit: reddit/Isabollaq)
However, protestors argue that the wedding exemplifies a deeper issue: the commercialisation of Venice at the expense of its residents. Uniting under the banner “No Space for Bezos” – a play on the couple’s shared interest in space travel – activists have accused the city of prioritising elite tourism over public interest.
Throughout June, they have staged demonstrations and unfurled banners across iconic landmarks, including the San Giorgio Maggiore bell tower and the Rialto Bridge.
On Monday, Greenpeace Italy and the UK-based group “Everyone Hates Elon [Musk]” joined the protests, hanging a banner in St. Mark’s Square that read: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax,” accompanied by an image of Bezos laughing.
(image credit-reddit/Kvolti)
In response to the backlash, Lanza & Baucina Limited, the company organizing the wedding, issued a rare public statement rejecting accusations of excess and city “takeover” as “entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals.”
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“From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimising of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions, and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events,” the firm told NPR.
Despite these assurances, the protests show no sign of slowing. For many Venetians, the Bezos-Sánchez wedding has become a flashpoint in the long-running debate over who Venice belongs to — its citizens or the global elite.
