Locals who protested against Jeff Bezos‘ lavish nuptials in the Italian city of Venice later this week have claimed victory after the billionaire reportedly changed the venue for his wedding celebrations.
The Amazon founder and his fiancée, former television journalist Lauren Sanchez, were planning to celebrate their marriage in Cannaregio, in Venice’s historic center.
But the local group “No Space for Bezos,” which threatened to disrupt the ceremony with inflatable crocodiles and a group plunge into canals, reported that the bride and groom have changed their plans to avoid protesters and moved the wedding to a much more isolated location.
Where Will Bezos and Sanchez’s Wedding Take Place Now?
According to “No Space for Bezos,” the wedding will now take place inside the Arsenale, a 14th century complex of former shipyards and armories on the eastern side of the historic center, instead of Cannaregio’s Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a medieval former religious school.
The new location, which is now used as an exhibition space for the Venice Biennale art fair, is completely surrounded by fortified walls and will make it harder for demonstrators to disrupt Bezos’ wedding.
It is a much more isolated and quiet location compared with Cannaregio, a hotspot for Venice’s nightlife—which means that it will be less disrupting for residents who were likely to see important parts of their city cordoned off to anyone but Bezos’ wedding guests.
For weeks now, groups of locals have staged protests across Venice’s most iconic spots to denounce their city allegedly being turned into a playground for the second-richest man in the world, while residents struggle with rising housing costs and the consequences of over-tourism.
Will This Put A Halt To Anti-Bezos Protests?
Protesters have been celebrating Bezos’ change of plans as a great victory.
“We won! The protests have managed to ruin Bezos’ plans and the little power games of Mayor Brugnaro [Venice’s Mayor Luigi Brugnaro],” the local group “No Space for Bezos” wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
The protesters rejoiced at having forced “one of the most powerful men in the world” to “run away” from the city’s historic center, where the three-day wedding celebrations were initially scheduled to take place, and “seek refuge” in a less prominent part of Venice.
“Bezos’ two yachts, Koru and Abeona, will also not dock in Venice,” the group said. “We showed yet again that Venice does not bow down to power but continues to be rebellious and resistant.”
But locals are still planning on going ahead with the protests scheduled for this weekend. On Saturday, protesters will hold a “No Bezos, No War” demonstration in the city center.
The exact day and location of Bezos’ wedding remains secret, but guests—including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner—started arriving in the Italian city on Tuesday. Over 200 VIP guests are expected to attend the nuptials, expected to take place between Thursday and Saturday.
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