Protesters Target Tech Billionaire's Luxury Yacht with Political Message
In a bold demonstration of political dissent, activists from the British group Led By Donkeys executed a daring protest against billionaire Republican donor Larry Ellison. The group affixed a massive banner reading "Trump Propagandist" to the side of Ellison's $160 million megayacht while it was docked in the exclusive French Riviera.
A Public Spectacle on Social Media
The activist organization publicized their action in a Tuesday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating: "We tracked down the super yacht owned by the world's sixth richest man. Larry Ellison won't like what we did to it." Led By Donkeys, which originally formed in 2018 to protest Brexit, accompanied their post with a video explaining Ellison's connections to former President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ellison's Expanding Media Empire
The protest highlights growing concerns about media consolidation and political influence. Larry Ellison participated in the investment group that acquired TikTok from China's ByteDance. Additionally, he utilized his family's multibillion-dollar trust to support the merger between his son David Ellison's Skydance Media and Paramount Global.
Last month, David Ellison and Paramount Skydance reached a monumental $110.9 billion agreement to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN. In their video, Led By Donkeys accused Paramount Skydance of using its subsidiary CBS News to promote a "pro-war" agenda in coverage of the Iran conflict and warned that similar influence could extend to CNN once the Warner Bros. deal is finalized.
Political Ramifications and Celebrations
Although the Warner Bros. acquisition has not yet been completed, allies of former President Trump have already expressed satisfaction that CNN—a persistent critic of the president—will soon be controlled by some of his most powerful supporters. The activists voiced serious concerns about this development, narrating in their video: "The billionaires are buying up the news to support their friends, the politicians pitching our world into chaos and war. Then they jump onto their super yachts, accountable to nobody."
The Oracle Co-Founder's Wealth and Status
Larry Ellison, who co-founded the technology giant Oracle, boasts an estimated net worth of $393 billion. Following a significant surge in Oracle's stock price last October, he temporarily surpassed Elon Musk as the world's wealthiest individual. This protest underscores increasing scrutiny of how immense wealth translates into media control and political power.
