Bernie Sanders slams Jeff Bezos’ lavish wedding with Lauren Sanchez in Venice: ‘This is obscene’

Senator Bernie Sanders has criticised Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for spending millions on his wedding celebrations in Venice, Italy. Sharing a post on microblogging site X (formerly known as Twitter), Sanders condemned the extravagant spend on the wedding, saying “This is oligarchy. This is obscene.” He pointed out that while a large number of Americans “live paycheck to paycheck” and faces issues like hunger, Bezos “goes to Venice on his $500 million yacht for a $20 million wedding & spends $5 million on a ring”. The comments have added to ongoing protest against Bezos’ marriage with fiance Lauren Sanchez. Locals and activists have raised concerns about the disruption caused by the extravagant wedding preparations and the impact of overtourism on the historic city.

What Bernie Sanders said about Bezos’ lavish wedding

In the X post, Sanders wrote “This is oligarchy. This is obscene. While 60% live paycheck to paycheck & kids go hungry, Jeff Bezos, worth $230 billion, goes to Venice on his $500 million yacht for a $20 million wedding & spends $5 million on a ring while his real tax rate is just 1.1%. End this oligarchy.”

Greenpeace joins protest against Jeff Bezos’ wedding in Italy

Recently, Greenpeace took part in protests in Venice against the wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. Protesters held a large banner in St. Mark’s Square that read, “IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX”. According to an Associated Press report, local police quickly removed the banner and asked the small group of demonstrators to leave.The protest is part of the “No Space for Bezos” campaign, which includes local housing groups, student organisations, and anti-cruise activists. They say the wedding is a symbol of the city’s ongoing problems with overtourism and poor local planning. Last week, the group also hung banners from major landmarks and put up posters around the city.