Protests Erupt as Trump's Envoy Sails Into Venice on $450M Superyacht
Hundreds of protesters denounced the ambassador’s yacht as a symbol of American wealth and Trump-era policies, while police boats and riot officers tightened security.
- On Friday, U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta arrived in Venice aboard his 117-meter yacht, Boardwalk, launching the 'Freedom 250 Coastal Diplomacy' tour marking American independence's 250th anniversary amid immediate protests.
- Fertitta, a billionaire businessman appointed by President Donald Trump, is touring 13 Italian regions to celebrate 'our shared history, our economic partnership, and the cultural bonds' that strengthen U.S.-Italy ties.
- Activists from the Morion social centre unfurled a banner reading 'Venezia non si Usa'—'Venice is not to be used'—echoing protests against Jeff Bezos's 2025 wedding and reflecting broader opposition to U.S. policies.
- Italy's Green and Left Alliance accused the government of diverting police to act as 'bodyguards' for Fertitta, while authorities tightened security ahead of Saturday's Redentore festival.
- Fertitta's visit navigates a cooling relationship between Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Trump, whose social media attacks have strained ties once seen as a close European political alliance.
93 Articles
93 Articles
Trump's billionaire envoy to Italy is on 'coastal diplomacy' tour with his super yacht, but it's enraging people in Venice. 'It's gross'
“The message is rather clear: For the new oligarchs to be able to travel around and normalize war and fascism, there must be local oligarchs.”
More than 100 protesters have expressed their displeasure at the arrival of a luxury yacht belonging to an American billionaire and ambassador in Venice, leading to a brief clash with riot police after protesters got too close to the vessel.
Fertitta began a tour of Italian coastal cities last month, aiming to strengthen ties between the United States and Italy on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Hundreds of Italians demonstrated the arrival of the US Ambassador's yacht in Italy in Venice for political reasons.
The opposition questions the use of public resources to escort the superyacht of billionaire Tilman Fertitta, a close friend of Trump, through various ports in the country.
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