Protest group behind viral Jeff Bezos dummy reveal real meaning behind their stunt

BillionaireJeff Bezos' Venetian wedding toLauren Sanchez has been an event defined by celebs, a multi-million-pound budget and – most of all – hijinks. Now the creators behind the viral protest has revealed the meaning behind it.

The protest group Konn Artiss were responsible for the creation of the Jeff Bezos dummy, which went viral after they pushed it into one of the Venetiancanals online. In an iconic video which quickly spread online, a hapless-looking dummy of the billionaire can be seen clinging onto an Amazon package, with wads of cash clutched in his hands.

This came with other similarly eye-catching stunts by the group, such as rowing down the canal with dummies of both Jeff and Lauren in their wedding outfits. Notably, the dummy of Jeff on the boat held a piece of cardboard with ‘Amazon’ stamped on it.

READ MORE: Jeff Bezos' star-studded guests finally leave Venice after 72-hour 'wedding of the century'

The video gained over 344K views on TikTok and was played to the tune of comedic singer Bo Burnham’s hit, ‘Bezos I.’ Commenters called for Amazon boycotts and praised the use of humour in the video. One said: "Boycott Amazon!!! I haven't missed it at all," while another added, "Bravo to the Italians."

Although, not all reactions were supportive. Under a clip of the dummy being pushed into the water on X, reactions were mixed. While some praised the group for their stunt, with some commenters accusing the protesters of being “jealous” and “rude”.

Others expressed that they didn’t understand the motive behind the protest. “I appreciate the Bezos hate, but I don't understand the protest,” one wrote.

However, in a recent TikTok, the anonymous protest group said that their intention wasn’t to ruin or disrupt Bezos’ wedding – but rather to raise awareness for a greater issue. They wrote: “This was never about Bezos… It was about balance.

"I didn’t do it to ruin a wedding… And I don’t believe Bezos lost any sleep over it. I did it because the world only looks when… Something breaks the pattern.” By pattern, it appears they were attempting to do something eye-catching and out-of-the-ordinary to bring attention to issues around wealth inequality.

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Konn Artiss are a collection of “merry misfits” that have likened themselves to a Robin Hood-like figures. On their web page, they claim: “Konn challenges societal norms through provocative stunts and striking installations, consistently highlighting inequality and advocating for positive social change.”

Ahead of the wedding on Friday, Konn Artiss told Metro: “We are not protesting love, we are protesting luxury without accountability. It is a spectacle of excess when we live in a time when the gap between the richest and poorest is getting bigger.”

They also pointed out that Venice is a working class city, where the working class “cannot pay their bills”. Yet they say Jeff Bezos is allowed to behave as though he is “a Roman Emperor.”

Their protests came off the back of other demonstrations, such as that by Greenpeace and UK political campaign group "Everyone hates Elon". Ahead of the wedding, they unfolded a giant banner in central St Mark's Square, Venice, with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax." Local police later rolled up the banner, as reported by Reuters.