Activists protest Jeff Bezos's upcoming Venice wedding
The billionaire has block-booked many of the city's most exclusive hotels and water taxis ahead of the three-day extravaganza this week, but residents have welcomed one of the world's richest men, saying there is 'No Space for Bezos'.
Banners have also been placed at sites including the Rialto Bridge and San Giorgio island, with climate and anti-inequality activists unveiling a vast banner in St Mark's Square that read 'If you can rent Venice, you can afford more tax'.
The banner was reportedly quickly removed by police.
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Bezos is due to marry TV anchor Lauren Sánchez in the Italian city this week, but the dates and details have been kept secret.
'What is happening here is blatant arrogance,' Marta Sottoriva, a high school English teacher and activist, told the Financial Times.
'He is exploiting the city in the same way that he has been exploiting workers worldwide to build his empire.'
Greenpeace campaigner, Clara Thompson, said: 'Bezos' wedding is a symbol of extreme wealth, privilege and a lot of things that are going wrong currently in the world,' and taking place in 'one of the world's most climate vulnerable cities'.
(Image: Greenpeace)
On Saturday, protesters are reportedly planning on jumping into the canals and using their own boats to block water taxis from ferrying guests to the wedding.
The 'No Space for Bezos' campaign, which is a reference to his space technology investments, has brought together students, unions, and activists campaigning for affordable housing and against cruise ships.
'The political agenda here continuously blurs the lines between the public good and private interests,' Sottoriva, an activist who cut her teeth in the successful campaign against cruise ships, told the FT.
'Local residents are seen as obstacles to tourism — obstacles to Venice as a Disneyland theme park.'
Venice residents have alleged that the conservative mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, cares more for boosting tourist numbers than improving local residents' lives, and the Bezos wedding has caused local tension to rise to a boiling point.
Lanza & Baucina, the London-based event planner organising the wedding, has insisted the event has been arranged carefully.
A spokesperson for the company said: 'Instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimising of any disruption to the city, the respect to its residents and institutions, and the overwhelming employment of locals.'
With planners adding: 'Rumours of 'taking over' the city are entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals.'
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