Mass tourism, impossibly excessive rents, employee exploitation, inequality and elitism: Venice, Italy’s protests in latest days towards Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s high-profile marriage ceremony have highlighted rising world grievances.
Local politicians dismissed protesters as a fringe minority. Bezos’s fame and Venice’s gorgeous visible backdrop have supplied them worldwide visibility which they successfully exploited.
“No Space for Bezos” banners draped over the enduring Rialto Bridge and an enormous canvas laid out on St Mark’s Square urging the tech billionaire to pay extra taxes have been seen all around the world.
Concerns of larger disruptions compelled Bezos and his bride to maneuver their ultimate and largest superstar social gathering from the central district to a extra remoted venue within the jap a part of the lagoon metropolis.
“The idea that the city should be seen as a set, a stage, or an amusement park has been highlighted like never before by Bezos’ wedding,” Tommaso Cacciari, a frontman for the No Space for Bezos motion, instructed Reuters.
In the ultimate protest on Saturday, round 1,000 residents and activists rallied in entrance of Venice’s practice station below a scorching solar, earlier than marching roughly 1.5 kilometres (0.93 miles) to the Rialto Bridge.
They carried banners together with one proclaiming ‘Kisses sure, Bezos no’, taking part in on Venice’s status as the town of affection, and one other one saying ‘No area for Bezos’ with a rocket, in a reference to his Blue Origin area know-how firm.
Venetian companies and politicians, nonetheless, welcomed the occasion, hailing its main increase for the native economic system. Luca Zaia, the regional governor of Veneto round Venice, stated the town ought to be happy with internet hosting the marriage.
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Alice Bazzoli, a 24-year-old college scholar, referred to as Bezos a “hypocrite” for donating 3 million euros ($3.5 million) to Venice whereas flooding its fragile ecosystem with high-polluting non-public jets and yachts.
Bezos and Sanchez have given 1 million euros every to a few Venetian establishments: CORILA, an educational consortium that research the lagoon, UNESCO’s native workplace, and Venice International University.
“I’d love Venice to be tailored for citizens, not for tourists, with affordable housing,” Bazzoli instructed Reuters, complaining that college students have been being priced out of the market, with one of the best lodging supplied to guests.
Andrea Segre, a 49-year-old Italian movie director born in Venice, stated the town was additionally pushing out peculiar residents.
“People aged 25 to 35 — the age group that starts families — cannot afford to live in Venice. The consequence is a lack of diversity and social liveliness,” he stated.
Venice is quickly depopulating, largely due to the price of residing disaster. Its historic metropolis centre now has fewer than 50,000 residents, in comparison with greater than 100,000 some 50 years in the past.
The metropolis has hosted scores of different VIP weddings, together with that of actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, however the newest luxurious nuptials have attracted far larger resentment due to Bezos’ company and political function.
The Amazon founder is the world’s fourth richest man, and has developed ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, whose daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner have been in attendance on the marriage ceremony.
“Bezos is the embodiment of the most absolute wealth gained through the exploitation of everything around you,” 28-year-old scholar Giulia Cacopardo instructed Reuters within the run-up to Saturday’s march.
In Italy, the e-commerce big has confronted criticism and strikes from commerce unions over labour practices, and scrutiny over tax compliance. Reuters reported in February that Italian prosecutors have been investigating alleged tax evasion price 1.2 billion.
“I would have protested against Bezos even if he had come on a rowboat with just a handful of people … because he contributed practically, materially and politically to Donald Trump’s re-election,” protest chief Cacciari stated.
Source: www.anews.com.tr