Venice, Greenpeace banner against Bezos wedding: ‘Pay more taxes’

Milan, 23 June (LaPresse) – Activists from Greenpeace Italy and the British action group Everyone Hates Elon unfurled a giant 400-square-metre banner with the words: ‘If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax’ in St. Mark's Square, ahead of billionaire Jeff Bezos' wedding, which will be celebrated in a few days in the lagoon city. "Bezos embodies an economic and social model that is leading us towards collapse. Social injustice increasingly goes hand in hand with climate injustice: on the one hand, the arrogance of a few billionaires who have lifestyles that are devastating for the planet; on the other, all the people who suffer daily from the damage caused by the environmental crisis," says Simona Abbate of Greenpeace Italy. 'The super-rich, the fossil fuel industry and the defence industry are speculating on people's lives: taxing their huge profits would be a first step towards the social and climate justice we are fighting for every day'. A spokesperson for Everyone Hates Elon said: 'While governments talk about difficult choices and struggle to fund public services, Jeff Bezos can afford to shut down half a city for days on end just to celebrate his wedding. A few weeks ago, he spent millions of dollars on an 11-minute space trip. If ever there was a sign that billionaires like Bezos should pay taxes on their wealth, this is it." Taxing the super-rich, fossil fuel industries and the defence sector would not only provide the funds needed for the energy transition, but also contribute to a welfare system that is now collapsing. Until this morning, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was anchored in the port of Venice to promote a green and peaceful future based on renewable energy and to denounce the damage that the fossil fuel industry is causing to people and the planet.