Jeff Bezos has been forced to move his multi-million pound wedding party in Italy. The celebrations were set to take place in a 16th-century hall in Venice and last three days.
However, fuming locals threatened to fill the city’s iconic canals with inflatable crocodiles to stop guests from arriving. They have accused the Amazon founder of effectively shutting down Venice and he has been forced to move his £7.3 million wedding with Lauren Sanchez to a more secure location. Around 250 guests are expected to attend from all over the world, including Los Angeles, Tanzania, London and Budapest.
As reported by The Telegraph, protester Tommaso Cacciari said: “Bezos is on the run — this is a crazy victory for a small group of people with no money who went up against one of the richest men on the planet.”
Protesters said the wedding is symbolic of Venice’s ongoing struggles with overtourism. They claim that high volumes of visitors are impacting housing, basic services, and local businesses.
A number of activists, including hotel, restaurant and business owners, have come together under the slogan “No Space for Bezos”. They said: “We cannot allow a noisy minority to discredit the image of this city in the eyes of the world.”
“We will put on the very best welcome for Bezos, as we always do for those who choose Venice as a holiday destination or as a backdrop to big events. Venice is a city that welcomes people – it doesn’t turn them away.”
The wedding is being planned by Lanza and Baucina, who insist that it will remain respectful to Venice. The Italian duo said that “rumours of ‘taking over’ the city are entirely false and diametrically opposed to our goals and to reality.”
Bezos and Sanchez are reportedly sourcing around 80% of the wedding provisions from local businesses. Rosa Salva pastry shop, which is the oldest in Venice, is creating around 200 “goodie bags” for guests.
Around 30 of Venice’s elite water taxis, out of 280 in total, are reserved for the event. Gondolas have also been put on hold while the city’s nine yacht ports are fully booked.
Meanwhile, guests are expected to be staying in hotels across the city. The potential venues include the iconic Cini Foundation, The Aman hotel, and the Scuola Grande della Misericordia.
Regional president Luca Zaia is not concerned about Venice’s ability to hold the wedding. He told a local paper: “I repeat, this is a city that handles 150,000 people a day. George Clooney, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, Alexandre Arnault, Elton John and many others got married here.”