Protests pop up in Venice before Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sánchez wedding: See photos
As billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée of several years, Lauren Sánchez, prepare to walk down the aisle in a star-studded, lavish wedding in Venice, Italy, their celebrations have reportedly been impacted by protests, which see the event as a sign of garish commodification of a fragile city.
Local anti-tourist activists, members of Greenpeace Italy and the U.K. group "Everyone hates Elon" (Musk) are among those protesting against the wedding ceremony, saying city authorities were prioritizing tourism over resident needs, Reuters reported.
Protesters argue the city is being overrun with tourism while steadily depopulating, and needs public services and housing, not VIPs and over-tourism.
"The problem is not the wedding, the problem is the system. We think that one big billionaire can't rent a city for his pleasure," one of the protesters, Simona Abbate told Reuters.
Anti-Bezos banners pop up in Venice: See photos, video
Anti-Bezos banners and signs have sprung up in different parts of Venice. A banner, which says, "No space for Bezos!" was hung from the city's famous Rialto Bridge.
Another with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax," was unfolded in central St. Mark's Square June 23 by "Everyone hates Elon."
Wedding venue reportedly moved
Amid ongoing protests and threats of disruption, multiple media outlets, including CNN and BBC reported protesters claimed victory after wedding celebrations were moved to an isolated, less accessible part of the lagoon city.
After the wedding ceremony, the location of which is unknown, the newlyweds and their guests will head to a hall of the Arsenale, a renovated maritime area on the outer edge of Venice. The vast 14th-century complex in the eastern Castello district, known for hosting the Venice Biennale art fair, is surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when connecting bridges are raised.
The event, which would mark the grand finale of the three-day event, was previously scheduled to be held at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, an art museum, BBC reported.
Locals had threatened peaceful blockades against the event on the day of.
BBC reported that some protesters were planning to enter canals near the key venues with inflatable alligators, in an attempt to block the path of the rich and famous. However, after the venue was reportedly changed, that plan has been called off, though protesters still plan to send out statements and register their protest over the wedding weekend.
Protesters rejoiced at the development and claimed an "enormous victory," saying the tech billionaire and his wedding guests were forced to "run away" from the city center, BBC reported.
Local officials defend celebrations
City authorities, however, are defending the grand wedding, estimated to cost $23-$34 million, according to regional governor Luca Zaia, who added it is expected to bring an economic boost to local businesses.
Zaia, on June 24, continued to offer his support to the billionaire.
"Do you think it's normal that you try to prevent two people, whatever their social background is, from celebrating their wedding wherever they want?" the governor wrote in a post on Facebook. "Venice needs all the support and love possible, so I'm wishing Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez a happy and peaceful marriage in the most beautiful city in the world!"
Bezos and Sánchez, meanwhile, will make charity donations, including $1 million euros for Corila, an academic consortium that studies Venice's lagoon ecosystem, Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper and the ANSA news agency reported. The couple has reportedly also requested wedding guests to make donations in lieu of gifts.
When is Jeff Bezos' wedding to Lauren Sánchez?
Bezos and Sánchez have been rather tight-lipped about their upcoming nuptials, and the exact date of their wedding has not been revealed. Reuters and The New York Times reported the three-day wedding is likely to occur between June 26 and 28.
About 200 guests, including some of the couple's closest celebrity friends such Oprah Winfrey, designer Diane von Furstenberg and husband Barry Diller, Mick Jagger, Salma Hayek, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Eva Longoria, and Kim Kardashian, are expected to be in attendance. Five of the city's most luxurious hotels have been booked out to host the wedding party.
Bezos and Sánchez are not the first celebrity couple to choose Italy for their destination wedding. Previously, George and Amal Clooney also wed in Venice in 2014, as did Salma Hayek and her billionaire husband François-Henri Pinault in 2009.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, Amanda Lee Myers, Paste BN; Reuters
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.