Venice Activists Celebrate as Bezos Relocates Wedding Amid Protests

Activists in Venice are declaring victory after tech mogul Jeff Bezos was compelled to change the venue for his wedding celebrations, originally planned in the city center, amid significant protests against over-tourism and wealth inequality.

Protesters in Venice are raising their flags in triumph after Jeff Bezos, the American tech billionaire, opted to shift his extravagant wedding celebrations to a new venue outside the city center. This change comes after activists voiced strong opposition to the impact of high-profile events on the city's infrastructure and environment.

Bezos and TV presenter Lauren Sanchez had planned a three-day wedding celebration that was expected to culminate in a grand event at the historical Scuola Grande della Misericordia. However, local officials have confirmed to the BBC that the wedding festivities will now take place at the Arsenale, which is notably further from the city’s tourist-heavy areas.

Tommaso Cacciari, a representative from a protest group named No Space for Bezos, expressed elation over the outcome, proclaiming that their grassroots efforts were successful in persuading one of the world's richest individuals to abandon the city center. “We're just citizens who started organizing, and we managed to move one of the most powerful people in the world out of the city,” he stated.

The upcoming wedding is destined to attract notable figures from Hollywood and beyond, including Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mick Jagger. Anticipations of heavy traffic to Venice airport and the city’s harbor due to private jets and yachts have raised concerns among locals. Furthermore, five hotels are reported to be fully booked in honor of the event, and it is even said that former US Marines have been contracted for security.

Despite the glitz and glamour, the festivities have sparked outrage among various advocacy groups, including local residents alarmed by over-tourism and environmental activists concerned about the implications of such wealth alongside a climate crisis. Activists have plastered anti-Bezos posters throughout the city, and protests against wealth inequality featured a large image of Bezos unfurled in Piazza San Marco, framing the event as a stark commentary on socioeconomic disparities.

Greenpeace campaigner Simona Abbate articulated the wider implications of the wedding, stating, “This isn’t just about a wedding; it’s about a lifestyle that’s destructive and unsustainable.” Meanwhile, city officials have criticized protests, emphasizing the economic contributions of affluent visitors to the city, and dismissing the demonstrators as a minor and unrepresentative group.

Local authorities previously implemented a five-euro daily tourist tax, yet activists argue that the measure has failed to deter visitors in light of a rising tide of tourism in Venice. As the guests are set to arrive soon, protest actions—including planned conflicts over canal access—have been adjusted, though activists from No Space for Bezos still intend to express their dissent through nighttime projections onto city buildings and a march on the final day of events.

Cacciari encapsulated the protest’s sentiment, asserting that Bezos’ choice to hold the wedding in Venice underscores a troubling trend where high-profile events treat the historic city as an expendable backdrop for personal celebrations, rather than respecting its cultural significance and the needs of its residents.