Venue Moved from Central Venice to Outskirts
Protests and Demonstrations Continue Throughout the City
As Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, prepared for his ultra-luxurious wedding in Venice, Italy, ongoing protests from local civic groups led him to change the wedding venue from the city center to a more remote location due to security concerns. On June 24, Yonhap News, citing AP and Reuters, reported that Bezos decided to relocate the wedding after local civic groups continued to protest against the event, and even announced plans to block guests from entering the venue on the wedding day.
Bezos and his fianc?e Lauren Sanchez had originally planned to hold their wedding celebration from June 26 to 28 at the grand medieval building 'Scuola Grande della Misericordia' in the Cannaregio district, the heart of Venice. Dubbed the "wedding of the century," the event was set to host about 200 high-profile guests, including Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, musicians Mick Jagger and Katy Perry, and actress Eva Longoria.
According to a source quoted by Reuters, "The party venue was changed to a remote, less accessible area of Venice to address security concerns and the risk of protests." The outlet reported that approximately 200 to 250 VIP guests from the worlds of entertainment, politics, and finance are expected to head to Arsenale Hall, a massive complex built in the 14th century located in the eastern part of the Castello district. The venue is considered secure as it is surrounded by water on all sides, and access can be cut off by raising the connecting bridges.
International environmental organization Greenpeace also joined the protest, displaying a banner in Venice's San Marco Square with a smiling photo of Bezos and an English message stating, "If you can rent Venice for a wedding, you should pay more taxes." Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency
Meanwhile, Venice has recently been struggling with issues such as noise, invasion of privacy, and soaring housing prices due to a surge in tourism. In this context, as Bezos effectively rented out the entire city for his wedding, local civic groups and residents have voiced strong opposition. In particular, since last week, around 12 local civic groups have been leading protests against the wedding. These groups hung banners reading "No Space for Bezos" on the iconic Rialto Bridge and posted protest posters throughout the city. Additionally, the international environmental organization Greenpeace joined the demonstrations, unfurling a banner in Venice's San Marco Square featuring a smiling photo of Bezos and an English message stating, "If you can rent Venice for a wedding, you should pay more taxes."
Throughout Venice, banners and stickers reading "No Space for Bezos" are posted. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News
Local civic group 'No Space for Bezos' cheered the decision made by the Bezos couple. The leader of the group, Tommaso Cacciari, said, "The news that Bezos has fled from the 'Scuola Grande della Misericordia' is a huge victory for us. We are very proud. We are just ordinary citizens, but by coming together and acting in an organized way, we have managed to drive one of the world's most influential people out of the city." He added that additional protests would take place on the canals, bridges, and narrow streets on June 28, vowing, "We will turn this event into a nightmare for Bezos and his guests."
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