Angry locals cause chaos for American billionaire Jeff Bezos' lavish Venice wedding

News.com.au

18 hours ago

Angry Italians who have been protesting against Jeff Bezos getting married in Venice are said to have finally forced the American billionaire to move a party that was planned in the middle of the city.
Bezos, 61, is expected to marry former news anchor Lauren Sanchez, 55, in a lavish wedding in the historic Italian destination this week with three days of celebrations and a star-studded guest list of about 200 people.
But Bezos, one of the world's richest people, has not been welcomed with open arms.
A large banner reading 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax' was put up in St. Mark Square and 'No space for Bezos' posters and stickers have been slapped on buildings throughout the city.
The couple have now cancelled their party at a 16th-century hall in the centre of Venice and moved the event to a more secure location after protesters threatened to stop guests arriving by filling the canals with inflatable crocodiles, according to British newspaper The Times.
'Bezos is on the run — this is a crazy victory for a small group of people with no money who went up against one of the richest men on the planet,' protester Tommaso Cacciari told the publication.
It's not the only venue change that could happen last minute.
A Venetian insider told Page Six that Bezos had booked several venues across a range of dates to keep their options open.
'The strategy serves both to mislead paparazzi and protesters, and to ensure contingency plans in the event of last-minute logistical setbacks,' they said.
The ceremony is in a secret location but rumours say it may take place at the historic Church of the Abbey of Misericordia, or at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse.
The couple's Sicilian wedding planner Lanza & Baucina said they have been instructed to minimise any disruption to the city.
Venice's tourism city councillor, Simone Venturini, denied the wedding would disrupt daily life, telling AFP it was just 'one of many events that the city hosts on a daily basis'.
'It is also relatively small in terms of the number of people involved,' Ms Venturini said.
Celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom are expected to fly into the city for the wedding.
At least 95 private planes have requested permission to land at Venice's Marco Polo airport, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera said.
Bezos' mega-yacht, Koru, is likely to moor off the iconic San Giorgio Maggiore island, which sits just opposite St Mark's Square and has reportedly been booked in its entirety for the period.
As environmentalists questioned the guests' carbon footprint, Greenpeace slammed billions spent on hedonistic partying while the fragile city is 'sinking under the weight of the climate crisis'.
Sanchez has also been criticised for saying more must be done to tackle climate change while also taking part in a space flight in April on a rocket developed by Bezos' space company Blue Origin.
People close to the couple told Associated Press that they are sourcing about 80 per cent of their wedding goods from Venetian vendors, and there have been various reports of 'sizeable' donations to charities.
That includes a million euro donation ($A1,789,000) for Corila, which manages research activities on the Venice Lagoon, and making other donations in honour of their guests in lieu of gifts.
Tourism management is a contentious topic in the holiday hotspot.
While Venice's economy relies heavily on tourism, some frustrated local residents feel foreigners are using their city as a playground while they are being pushed out through lack of affordable housing and job opportunities outside of tourism.
It is one of many popular destinations across the world desperately trying to find new ways to cope with a massive boom in tourism post-Covid and avoid the trend dubbed 'overtourism'.
Venice has doubled its entry free for day-trippers this season and expanded the days it applies to.
The fee, first introduced a year ago, was 5 euros ($9) and is now 10 euros ($18) for any visitors who don't book more than four days in advance.
Also among new rules last year, megaphones and tour groups over 25 people were banned.
Bezos is not the first big name to get married in Venice. George and Amal Clooney wed there in 2014.