Protestors in Venice have claimed an “enormous victory” after Jeffrey Bezos ditched his plans to get married in the city centre.
This week, the Amazon founder had grand plans for a three-day celebration a number of venues in Venice for his wedding to TV presenter Lauren Sanchez.
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The celebrations – which have a star-studded guest list rumoured to include the likes of Kim Kardashian and Mick Jagger – had been set to culminate on Saturday at an event at the iconic Scuola Grande della Misericordia in the city centre.
But his plans prompted huge protests from a number of different groups. This included locals who objected to the over-tourism of Venice to climate activists angry at the travel involved for the wedding.
Private jets are expected to jam up Venice airport, with a number of private yachts expected in the harbour and entire hotels booked out.
Protestors had displayed ‘No Space for Bezos’ banners across the city and activist group Everyone Hates Elon unfurled a huge image in Piazza San Marco, featuring a picture of Bezos and the words: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding then you can pay more tax.”
Now, it has been confirmed that the wedding celebrations will be moved away from the city centre, with guests gathering instead at the Arsenale.
Speaking to the BBC, Tommaso Cacciari, from No Space for Bezos, said: “We are very proud of this! We are nobodies, we have no money, nothing!
“We’re just citizens who started organising and we managed to move one of the most powerful people in the world – all the billionaires – out of the city.”
Meanwhile, Greenpeace campaigner Simona Abbate said: “Our protest isn’t about the wedding itself – it’s about what it represents.
“This isn’t just a celebration of two people getting married, it’s a display of a lifestyle that’s simply unsustainable. The richest live in excess, while others endure the consequences of a climate emergency they didn’t create.”