'No space for Bezos': Locals protest as Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez descend on Venice for extravagant three-day wedding
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are preparing to tie the knot in what's being touted as the "wedding of the century", but not everyone is celebrating.
The billionaire tech mogul, 61, and his fiancée, 55, are set to host a glitzy three-day ceremony in Venice from Tuesday to Thursday, with the festivities expected to bring parts of the historic city to a standstill.
Plans for the opulent event have largely been kept under wraps, but reports suggest no expense has been spared since the world's second richest man popped the question in May 2023 with a jaw-dropping 30-carat diamond ring.
The pair will reportedly host their guests at the ultra-exclusive Aman Hotel, the same venue George and Amal Clooney used for their 2014 nuptials, and have also booked out rooms at the Gritti Palace, St. Regis, Belmond Cipriani and Hotel Danieli.
But while celebrity guests like Oprah Winfrey, Ivanka Trump, Katy Perry, Eva Longoria, Gayle King and members of the Kardashian clan are expected to attend, many Venetians are pushing back.
A local protest group calling itself "No Space for Bezos", a nod to the tech billionaire's Blue Origin space venture, has launched a vocal campaign against the wedding, plastering the city with banners and posters taking aim at the Amazon founder's presence.
"Venice is being treated like a showcase, a stage," protest organiser Federica Toninelli told the BBC.
"And this wedding is the symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders… Venice is now just an asset."
Toninelli, 33, said the group brings together a range of activist collectives, from housing campaigners to anti-cruise ship advocates.
"These topics are all linked," she said.
"They all have to do with Venice turning into a place that puts tourists, rather than residents, at the centre of its politics."
On Thursday, protesters scaled the bell tower of the San Giorgio Maggiore basilica and unfurled a banner, while another was draped over the Rialto Bridge.
This week, the group plans to block Venice's calli (its narrow alleyways) and disrupt water taxis by jumping into the canals to obstruct guests from reaching the event.
Joining the local activists are Greenpeace and UK-based collective 'Everyone Hates Elon', a group that takes aim at the world's richest man, Elon Musk.
On Monday, the two organisations unveiled a massive banner in St. Mark's Square that read: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax."
"Jeff Bezos is the second-richest man in the world yet is reported to pay a 1.1% true tax rate," the groups said in a joint statement, as per Variety.
"The multi-million-dollar wedding is reportedly happening over three days, with the wedding ring alone worth as much as $5 million."
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has condemned the demonstrations, saying he hopes the Amazon founder and his former TV journalist fiancée go ahead with the wedding regardless of the backlash.
"We will have to apologise to Bezos," Brugnaro told reporters on Friday.
"I am ashamed of those who behave like this. I hope that Bezos comes anyway," he said, adding that "not all Venetians think like these protesters."
If the Bezos' nuptials go ahead as planned, they'll mark Venice's most high-profile celebrity wedding in over a decade.
Though the couple has yet to publicly comment on the event, Sánchez's older brother Paul told TMZ in March: "It's gonna be like a Princess Di thing.
"It's gonna be an amazing event. It's gonna be star-studded and fun."
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News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Glamour, gripes as celebs head to Venice for exclusive Bezos wedding
Celebrities in superyachts sail into Venice this week for the three-day wedding party of Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, despite irate locals who say the UNESCO city is no billionaire's playground. The tech magnate and journalist have reportedly invited about 200 guests to their multi-million dollar nuptials in the Italian city, which are expected to kick off Thursday and end Saturday with a ceremony at a secret location. The security details are under tight wraps amid rumours the rite 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. Bezos, 61, and former news anchor and entertainment reporter Sanchez, 55, are said to have booked out the city's finest hotels for a star-studded guest list rumoured to include Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom and Ivanka Trump. At least 95 private planes have requested permission to land at Venice's Marco Polo airport, the Corriere della Sera said. And 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. - Star-studded - The lavish celebration has sparked much soul-searching in Venice, where some fear so many A-list guests and their entourages will make life worse in a city already drowning under the weight of holidaymakers. Around 100,000 tourists overnight in peak periods, while tens of thousands descend just for the day, many hopping off cruise ships for a quick Bellini cocktail, while the city steadily depopulates. Venice happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney 11 years ago but protesters say Bezos -- one of the world's richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers -- is different. 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's space company Blue Origin. Activists unfurled a giant banner in St Mark's on Monday, with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax". - 'Private ballroom' - Built on islands in a lagoon, the city has imposed a controversial ticket policy for day-trippers but locals say more must be done to protect local businesses and tackle the housing crisis. Tommaso Cacciari, 47, who heads the No Space for Bezos movement, said the protesters object to "the use of Venice as if it were a very private ballroom, rather than a real city with inhabitants, with frailties, with problems". He told AFP such events were "condemning Venice to a definitive death" by driving out remaining residents, but protesters were ready to kill the romance by throwing "our bodies, our boats and inflatable animals" into canals as guests pass. The couple's Sicilian wedding planner Lanza & Baucina said they have been instructed to minimise any disruption to the city. And Simone Venturini, Venice's tourism city councillor, denied it 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". The couple, both divorced, have made charity donations to support the city and are employing historic Venetian artisans. Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags also expected to contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass. While disgruntled citizens hoping to make a splash ready their swimming costumes, others flattered by Bezos's decision to celebrate here have set up a counter-group called "Yes Venice Can". "It's a fragile city, that's clear, it's not like you can do everything all the time, no matter what -- but events like this don't create any problems at all", said 50-year-old local Michele Serafini. The wedding "brings money to the city of Venice", and that can only be a good thing, he said.
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
'No space for Bezos': Locals protest as Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez descend on Venice for extravagant three-day wedding
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are preparing to tie the knot in what's being touted as the "wedding of the century", but not everyone is celebrating. The billionaire tech mogul, 61, and his fiancée, 55, are set to host a glitzy three-day ceremony in Venice from Tuesday to Thursday, with the festivities expected to bring parts of the historic city to a standstill. Plans for the opulent event have largely been kept under wraps, but reports suggest no expense has been spared since the world's second richest man popped the question in May 2023 with a jaw-dropping 30-carat diamond ring. The pair will reportedly host their guests at the ultra-exclusive Aman Hotel, the same venue George and Amal Clooney used for their 2014 nuptials, and have also booked out rooms at the Gritti Palace, St. Regis, Belmond Cipriani and Hotel Danieli. But while celebrity guests like Oprah Winfrey, Ivanka Trump, Katy Perry, Eva Longoria, Gayle King and members of the Kardashian clan are expected to attend, many Venetians are pushing back. A local protest group calling itself "No Space for Bezos", a nod to the tech billionaire's Blue Origin space venture, has launched a vocal campaign against the wedding, plastering the city with banners and posters taking aim at the Amazon founder's presence. "Venice is being treated like a showcase, a stage," protest organiser Federica Toninelli told the BBC. "And this wedding is the symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders… Venice is now just an asset." Toninelli, 33, said the group brings together a range of activist collectives, from housing campaigners to anti-cruise ship advocates. "These topics are all linked," she said. "They all have to do with Venice turning into a place that puts tourists, rather than residents, at the centre of its politics." On Thursday, protesters scaled the bell tower of the San Giorgio Maggiore basilica and unfurled a banner, while another was draped over the Rialto Bridge. This week, the group plans to block Venice's calli (its narrow alleyways) and disrupt water taxis by jumping into the canals to obstruct guests from reaching the event. Joining the local activists are Greenpeace and UK-based collective 'Everyone Hates Elon', a group that takes aim at the world's richest man, Elon Musk. On Monday, the two organisations unveiled a massive banner in St. Mark's Square that read: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax." "Jeff Bezos is the second-richest man in the world yet is reported to pay a 1.1% true tax rate," the groups said in a joint statement, as per Variety. "The multi-million-dollar wedding is reportedly happening over three days, with the wedding ring alone worth as much as $5 million." Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has condemned the demonstrations, saying he hopes the Amazon founder and his former TV journalist fiancée go ahead with the wedding regardless of the backlash. "We will have to apologise to Bezos," Brugnaro told reporters on Friday. "I am ashamed of those who behave like this. I hope that Bezos comes anyway," he said, adding that "not all Venetians think like these protesters." If the Bezos' nuptials go ahead as planned, they'll mark Venice's most high-profile celebrity wedding in over a decade. Though the couple has yet to publicly comment on the event, Sánchez's older brother Paul told TMZ in March: "It's gonna be like a Princess Di thing. "It's gonna be an amazing event. It's gonna be star-studded and fun."
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Angry locals cause chaos for American billionaire Jeff Bezos' lavish Venice wedding
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.
