Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez wedding leaves Venice divided

BBC News

6 hours ago

The lavish wedding party of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and TV presenter Lauren Sanchez concludes this evening in Venice with the main gala event.But as their celebrity guests step into water taxis from their luxury hotels, paparazzi poised, some Venetians are gathering to protest against the big event. Their causes are varied, from locals opposed to over-tourism in a delicate city, to activists protesting against climate change and capitalism. While they plan to march on Saturday evening, plans to launch themselves into the city's canals with inflatable crocodiles and block the wedding guests' passage have been dropped. In pictures: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's wedding
Protesters gather
Spotted heading into Harry Bar's for lunch on Saturday, Bezos blew kisses towards the cameras when a local journalist asked what he made of the protests.The city's deputy mayor dismissed the activists as "narcissists" and insisted the wedding was the "high-quality tourism" Venice needs.Simone Venturini, city councillor for economic developments, said he hoped "a lot of people will want to get married in Venice" now and boost the city's wedding sector."We are not Iran. The city cannot say who can or who cannot get married. We have no moral police going around," he told the BBC on the bank of the Grand Canal, as gondolas loaded with tourists drifted by.
The activists have already claimed one win, though. Tonight's party was moved further from the city centre for security reasons. The new venue, Arsenale, is easier to protect."I think the main problem is that Venice is becoming like an amusement park," argues Paola, an Italian member of the Extinction Rebellion group. She's especially incensed that wedding guests arrived here on private jets and argues the world's elite are the worst polluters."Of course, mass tourism is eating the city alive, but the fact that billionaires can come here and use the city as their amusement park is an enormous problem."
Stars descend for 'wedding of the year'
The Italian media have leapt on the glitz and glamour of what they are dubbing the "wedding of the year".Their pages and posts are full of pictures of the 200 or so A-list celebrities now in town, including Leonardo di Caprio and Kim Kardashian.There's talk of cuttlefish banquets – tonight's spread will feature cod, cooked regional-style – and photos of the bride's white lace Dolce and Gabbana gown, apparently inspired by one worn by Sophia Loren in the 1950s.It seems, however, that talk of this wedding bringing the city to a halt was overblown.Ivanka Trump has been spotted at an art gallery, as has Bill Gates, and the newly married couple have been photographed and filmed in various locations and outfits.But most tourists, or Venetians, are more likely to bump into a Bezos look-a-like, who made a purpose journey from Germany to pose for photos, than any of the real-life rich and famous.There are plenty of water taxis and gondolas still free for hire and no crowds of angry tourists, deprived of their magical ride.Some streets were briefly closed around the main events but disruption appears to have been minimal.Most of the posters declaring "No Space for Bezos" have been ripped down and just the odd bit of graffiti can be seen. Attempts to project slogans on buildings were quickly stopped by police. A planned march by protesters on Saturday evening is taking place with official permission.
Venetians divided
But fears of Venice becoming a tourist playground, forcing locals out of town, are no exaggeration.Just down from the main railway station, police check visitors at random for mandatory day passes. It is a new measure to try to control the crowds. All around, cafes are packed with people shiny-faced from the humidity and pink from the brutally fierce sun. A short walk away is the pretty piazza where Roberto Zanon has spent all his life but which he now has to leave. His landlord has sold his home to out-of-town developers and the 77-year old is being evicted soon together with his two dogs. Finding anything else in his home city is impossible, Roberto says. He can't compete with higher-paying tourists. "One, two, three doors - those are locals, but the rest is all for tourism now," Roberto says, pointing to the wooden doors around his square. "There are fewer and fewer Venetians here," he says quietly, deeply upset at the loss of his home. "There is no purpose any more. You lose your friends. You lose piece of your heart. But sadly this situation is unstoppable." That doesn't mean Roberto is fretting about a billionaire choosing Venice for his wedding, mind you. He worked in tourism himself for many years and calls it "an honour" to have such famous guests in the city he himself loves so much. "I find it positive."He's not alone.
In a souvenir shop selling magnets and T-shirts, Leda is all in favour of the Bezos-Sanchez bonanza. She is blunt: "I think there should be more people like Bezos here. Right now we get trash tourism and Venice doesn't deserve that."Leda used to have her own store selling quality Italian goods but had to close it to adapt to a low-spending market. "It's low-cost, hit-and-run tourism," she says. "People take 20 euro flights, come here and don't spend a thing. That's not what Venice needs."So what will be left, when the big party jets out of town? The deputy mayor confirmed tech boss Bezos had donated "around three million euros" to groups working to protect this fragile city-on-the-water, in a gesture of support. As for the 30 million euros the wedding might net the city in other ways - activists call that a "drop in the lagoon" for one of the richest men on earth. "It's around three euros for a normal person, if you put in proportion to Bezos's wealth," Lorenzo from Extinction Rebellion said. "It's a very low amount of money."