Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez arrive in Venice as protests continue
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have arrived in Venice, ahead of their star-studded and controversial weekend wedding.
Bezos waved from a water taxi as he and Sánchez arrived at the dock of the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal, with two security boats in tow.
Their wedding has drawn protests by groups who view it as a sign of the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots, while residents complain it exemplifies the way their needs are disregarded in the era of mass tourism to the historic lagoon city.
About a dozen Venetian organizations - including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups - have united to protest the multi-day event under the banner 'No Space For Bezos,' a play on words also referring to the bride's recent (and much mocked) space flight.
They have staged small-scale protests, unfurling anti-Bezos banners on iconic Venetian sites. They were joined on Monday by Greenpeace and the British group 'Everyone Hates Elon,' which has smashed Teslas to protest Elon Musk, to unfurl a giant banner in St. Mark's Square protesting purported tax breaks for billionaires.
The banner read: 'IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX.'
Critics cite Amazon's labour practices, ongoing tax disputes with European governments and Bezos' political associations as reasons for concern.
Oliviero Cassarà, a lead organizer and activist, said in a statement that 'No Space For Bezos' has zero issue with Americans or people getting married in Venice. However, Cassarà said: 'Bezos supported Trump economically and politically and is consequently co- responsible for this drift against us Italian and European citizens.'
Activists also argue that the Bezos wedding exemplifies broader failures in municipal governance, particularly the prioritization of tourism over residents' needs.
On Wednesday, other activists launched a float down the Grand Canal featuring a mannequin of Bezos clinging onto an Amazon box, his fists full of fake dollars.
The British publicity firm that announced the stunt said it wasn't a protest of the wedding 'but against unchecked wealth, media control, and the growing privatisation of public spaces.'
The local activists had planned a more organized protest for Saturday, aiming to obstruct access to canals with boats to prevent guests from reaching the wedding venue.
They modified the protest to a march from the train station after claiming a victory, asserting that their pressure forced organizers to change the lavish wedding venue from the Scuola Grande della Misericordia to the Arsenale - the famous complex of shipyards beyond Venice's congested centre, which is surrounded by fortified walls.
'It will be a strong, decisive protest, but peaceful,'' said Federica Toninello, an activist with the Social Housing Assembly network. 'We want it to be like a party, with music, to make clear what we want our Venice to look like."
Among the 200 guests confirmed to be attending the wedding are Mick Jagger, Ivanka Trump, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio.
City officials have defended the wedding. The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, has tried to reassure protesters and stated that Venice is more than capable of hosting the event. He cited the Venice Film Festival and G7 Summit as examples. Brugnaro also said he was 'ashamed of those who behave like this,' Variety reported - in reference to the protesters.
"Venice once again reveals itself to be a global stage,'' Brugnaro added, adding he hoped to meet Bezos while he was in town.
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