Jeff Bezos is sponsoring the Met Gala, prompting a boycott call in NYC

The Met Gala is almost here — and some people aren't happy with this year's honorary guest.

Signs have popped up across New York City in recent days calling for a boycott on the annual fashion fundraiser because of its lead sponsor: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Here's what to know about this year's Met Gala, and why it's drawn the ire of some activists.

Why are people protesting this year's Met Gala?

Over the past few days, posters, projections and more have shown up in NYC protesting the star-studded event.

Hosted every year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Met Gala raises money for the museum's Costume Institute, which has a collection of more than 33,000 fashion artifacts spanning from the 15th century to present. The event brings in millions annually, last year raking in $31 million, according to the New York Times.

This year, Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, the Met Gala and exhibition's lead sponsor, are the honorary chairs of the event, which has led to a boycott call.

Who is protesting the Met Gala?

A giant poster with a tear gas container on a red carpet is just one of the examples of signs popping up across the city.

"The Bezos Met Gala," the sign says. "Brought to you by the firm that powers ICE."

Another poster reads: "There's no dressing it up. Met Gala chair Jeff Bezos avoids tax, enables ICE and backs Trump. Don't let him get away with it."

The boycott signage, popping up on subway cars, walls and even displayed on the side of buildings, is seemingly being campaigned by members of a group called "Everyone Hates Elon." Members of this activist organization have run similar campaigns against other billionaires in the past.

In addition to the posters, members of the group have claimed that they've hidden hundreds of bottles of fake urine — a reference to past allegations against Amazon that said workers had to urinate in bottles to keep up with time demands — in the Met Museum itself.

In one of the group's clips posted to Instagram on May 4, a video was displayed on the side of Bezos' penthouse depicting an Amazon worker criticizing the company.

"When we struggle from paycheck to paycheck, from week to week, it really angers me," the woman in the video says.

"Because if it weren't for every associate, in every Amazon facility, he wouldn't have all those zeros behind his name."

The Met did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.