New York based protesters greeted the world's richest man and New York Times stakeholder Carlos Slim with the Imperial March from Star Wars—on kazoos.
The Mexican billionaire, worth a reported $73.5 billion, has been plagued by the protesters who may or may not be paid, over the last two years, Bloomberg reports:
The 73-year-old, whose telecommunications empire spans Latin America, the U.S. and Europe, has been increasingly targeted by demonstrators over the past two years. In addition to the event this week at the New York Public Library, marchers hoisted signs during his commencement speech last year at George Washington University. Picketers have also shown up at a New York store owned by Saks Inc. (SKS) -- his biggest U.S. investment -- and called for California lawmakers to investigate him.
The protests are loosely organized by a group of Latino political organizations that say they’re self-funded and unconnected with Slim’s competitors in Mexico. They’re planning more events -- including one later this month in Las Vegas -- to spread their message that Slim has overcharged Mexican consumers to enrich himself, an accusation the billionaire denies.
At the library, where Slim was speaking about digital education as part of a lecture series, protesters drowned out his comments with laughter, then stood up and shouted that his charitable giving was a joke. They tossed fake bills around the room that said "$73 billion" -- Slim’s estimated wealth. (It’s now $73.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.) Then they began playing the "Imperial Death March" from the "Star Wars" films as they filed out.
Slim owns 7 percent of the New York Times Company. He has visited the White House at least twice during the Obama presidency.