Trump envoy met with protests in Venice as he arrives on superyacht
US Ambassador Tilman Fertitta, a billionaire businessman, arrived amid strained ties between the president and Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni
A few hundred people in Venice protested on Friday against US Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta as he arrived in the lagoon city aboard his superyacht, drawing criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies.
Activists also objected to the heightened security measures put in place by local authorities as Venice prepares for one of its most important festivals.
Fertitta, a billionaire businessman appointed by Trump, is touring the Italian peninsula aboard his 117-metre (384-foot) yacht, Boardwalk, on a “Freedom 250 Coastal Diplomacy Tour” marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.
Around 300 people gathered to protest and took part in a march holding up posters with slogans such as “Fertitta must go”, “Make America go away”, “Venice must not be used” or “No space for billionaires”.
They approached the part of the historic centre of Venice where the yacht had anchored, Riva dei Sette Martiri, but were stopped from going any further by police, with whom a few minor scuffles broke out.
They also expressed support for the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.