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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Billionaire US Envoy Faces Venice Protests Amid Yacht Tour

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • US Ambassador to Italy, Tilman Fertitta, faced protests upon arriving in Venice on his $450 million superyacht.
  • Around 300 demonstrators protested the ambassador's display of wealth and US policies, chanting slogans and holding signs.
  • Fertitta's visit is part of a diplomatic tour, personally funded, aimed at celebrating US-Italy relations, though critics view it as an arrogant display amid local struggles.

US Ambassador to Italy, Tilman Fertitta, encountered a significant protest upon his arrival in Venice aboard his luxury superyacht. The 117-meter vessel, valued at an estimated $450 million, dwarfed the historic cityscape as it docked. Police boats patrolled the waters, and riot police secured waterfront access points, highlighting the security measures surrounding the ambassador's visit.

Fertitta must go

— ProtestersChanted slogan during the demonstration against the US Ambassador.

Approximately 300 protesters gathered in the city's historic center, expressing their discontent with signs reading "Fertitta must go," "Make America Go Away," and "Venice must not be used." Demonstrators yelled "Shame!" at the ambassador, the mayor, and police officers. The protest aimed to voice anger over the ambassador's ostentatious display of wealth and broader US policies, including the war in Iran.

Make America Go Away

— ProtestersChanted slogan during the demonstration against the US Ambassador.

Fertitta's presence in Venice is part of a "Freedom 250 Coastal Diplomacy" tour across Italy, which he is personally funding. He described the initiative as a celebration of "shared history, economic partnership, and cultural bonds." However, critics, like organizer Stella Morion, condemned the visit as "arrogant" and a "slap in the face" to Venice, a city struggling with tourism's impact and rising prices, which they linked to US foreign policy.

Venice must not be used

— ProtestersChanted slogan during the demonstration against the US Ambassador.

Fertitta, a billionaire with a net worth of $11.3 billion, made his fortune in restaurants, hotels, and casinos and owns the Houston basketball team. His appointment as envoy to Italy followed a pattern by the Trump administration of selecting donors and allies for ambassadorial posts. The protests also drew parallels to previous demonstrations against the wedding of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Shame!

— ProtestersYelled at the ambassador, mayor, and police officers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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