Venetians plan to march in the streets, swim in the canals to disrupt Jeff Bezos's wedding

CBC

5 days ago

When the world's third richest man ties the knot in Venice this week, Federica Toninello plans to be just outside, having a swim in the canal.
Toninello is one of hundreds of protesters who are doing whatever they can to disrupt Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's lavish nuptials in Venice, an Italian city that activists say prioritizes the desires of wealthy tourists over the needs of its own residents.
As about 200 high-profile guests arrive in Venice, booking up huge swaths of luxury hotel rooms and water taxis, the demonstrators intend to block the streets and the waterways near the purported wedding venue.
"We are going put our bodies in the canals of Venice," Toninello told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal. "There are going to also be some boats. Whatever can float, we are going to use it."
Bezos 'represents the future that we don't want'
Bezos, 61, will wed former news anchor Lauren Sanchez, 55, this week after getting engaged in 2023.
The couple have not publicly released any details about the event, but local media outlets report there will be three days of festivities across the city, likely between June 26-28.
The New York Times, citing unconfirmed reports in Italian newspapers, identifies likely wedding event locations as Lido beach, where the Venice Film Festival is held; the entire island of San Giorgio, which is usually a public space; and the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a restored Renaissance building and event space.
The latter is where activists believe the pair will say their vows — and that's where Toninello plans to make her splash, literally.
While Venice's mayor and some business owners have lauded the wedding as a source of income for the city, other Venetians are making it clear the couple are not welcome by unfurling massive banners in public areas and plastering the city with anti-Bezos posters.
Toninello is with the protest group No Space for Bezos, a collaboration of about a dozen Venetian organizations including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and student activists.
The group's name is reference to Bezos's space technology company, Blue Origin, which recently launched a rocket with an all-female crew that included the bride-to-be.
Toninello says the group's main goal is to draw attention to the effects of over-tourism in Venice, which she says has driven up housing costs and forced Venetian residents to pack up and leave.
They are calling on the government to invest in education, environmental protections and affordable housing to rebuild the dwindling local population.
"Tourism is not something that brings richness to the people. It's something that brings richness only to few people, and most of the time these people also do not live in Venice," Toninello said.
But she says they are also protesting Bezos, himself. She accused the billionaire of paying less than his fair share in taxes, and getting rich off the backs of the working poor.
"He represents the future that we don't want to live in," she said.
Bezos did not respond to a request for comment.
Ahead of the wedding, he made a charitable donation to Corila, a Venetian environmental research association, through his philanthropic organization, the Bezos Earth Fund
Corila wouldn't say how much Bezos was donating, but noted contacts began in April, well before the protests started.
Businesses, politicians welcome the couple
The environmental group Greenpeace is also protesting the wedding.
Activists from Greenpeace Italy and U.K. group "Everyone Hates Elon" — referring to Tesla owner and former U.S. President Donald Trump ally, Elon Musk — unfolded a giant banner in central St. Mark's Square featuring a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax."
"The problem is not the wedding, the problem is the system," Simona Abbate, one of the protesters, told Reuters. "We think that one big billionaire can't rent a city for his pleasure."
But not everyone is opposed to the multi-million-dollar extravaganza.
Antonio Rosa Salva, whose pastry business is one of several local vendors supplying the wedding, said events like this bring "quality tourism" to the city.
"I don't see how an event with 200 people can create disruption," Salva said. "It's responsible tourism. It's prestigious that a couple like this, who can go anywhere in the world, are getting married in the city."
Regional governor Luca Zaia said the wedding will bring an economic windfall to local businesses, including the motor boats and gondolas that operate its myriad canals. He said the celebrations were expected to cost 20-30 million euros ($31-$47 million Cdn).
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro lambasted the protesters while addressing reporters in Venice on Friday, according to CNN.
"We will have to apologize to Bezos," the mayor said. "I am ashamed of those who behave like this. I hope that Bezos comes anyway. Not all Venetians think like these protesters."
Toninello balked at the mayor's comments.