About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — are protesting under the banner “No Space for Bezos”, a play on words referring to his space exploration company Blue Origin and the bride’s recent space flight.
Greenpeace unfurled a banner in St Mark’s Square denouncing Bezos for paying insufficient taxes. Activists floated a bald-headed Bezos-inspired mannequin down a Venice canal atop an Amazon delivery box, its hands clenching fake cash.
Authorities — from Venice’s mayor to the nation’s tourism minister — have dismissed the outcry, saying it ignores the visibility and economic boost the wedding brings.
“There will be photos everywhere, social media will go wild over the bride’s dress, over the ceremony,” Italy’s tourism minister, Daniela Santanche, told the AP.
“All of this translates into a massive free publicity campaign. In fact, because they will spend a lot of money, they will enrich Venice — our shopkeepers, artisans, restauranteurs, hotels. So it’s a great opportunity both for spending and for promoting Italy in the world.”
PHILANTHROPY
As Amazon’s CEO, Bezos usually avoided the limelight, frequently delegating announcements and business updates to his executives. Today he has a net worth of US$231 billion, according to Forbes.
In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, just before the National Enquirer published a story about an affair with Sanchez, a former TV news anchor. Sanchez filed for divorce the day after Bezos’ divorce was finalised.
He stepped down as CEO in 2021, saying he wished to spend more time on side projects, including Blue Origin, The Washington Post, which he owns, and his philanthropic initiatives.
Sitting beside Sanchez during an interview with CNN in 2022, he announced plans to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime.
Last week, a Venetian environmental research association issued a statement saying Bezos’ Earth Fund was supporting its work with an “important donation”. CORILA, which seeks protection of the Venetian lagoon system, said contact began in April, well before any protests.
