‘If you can rent Venice, you can pay more taxes': Jeff Bezos shifts wedding venue after protests
Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez have reportedly shifted the venue of their much-hyped Venice wedding to a more secluded part of the city after facing intense backlash from residents and protest groups.
Originally set to host their main wedding reception at the historic Scuola Grande della Misericordia in central Venice, the couple has now opted for Tese 91 – a shipyard space in the Arsenale complex on the city's outskirts. While officials have cited 'security reasons' for the last-minute venue change, campaigners are calling it a victory.
'We won! The protest managed to ruin Bezos' plans and the mayor's palace games,' declared the activist group 'No Space for Bezos', which has been leading demonstrations against what they call the city's transformation into a billionaire's playground.
The Amazon founder's three-day celebration, expected to be attended by over 200 high-profile guests including Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Elon Musk, and Ivanka Trump, has sparked outrage among locals. Protestors argue that Venice, already buckling under the strain of overtourism, should not be reduced to a backdrop for luxury events.
Since Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro confirmed the wedding in March, activists have launched a series of dramatic protests across the city. Banners with Bezos' name crossed out in red were unfurled from the iconic Rialto Bridge and the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore, the island where the couple is reportedly tying the knot.
'Venice is being treated like a stage, a showcase — and this wedding is the symbol of how the city is being exploited by outsiders,' a protester told the BBC.
Demonstrators had even threatened to block the canals with inflatable crocodiles, a move some believe pressured the couple into changing plans. 'The crocodile initiative would have given a bad impression of the city. That's why the venue was changed,' one activist told The Guardian.
Greenpeace also joined the protests, unfurling a massive banner with a grinning Bezos and the words: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more taxes.'
Mayor Brugnaro expressed 'shame' over the demonstrations, prompting a sharp response from campaigners: 'The ones who should be ashamed are them. They are the people who have destroyed this city.'
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