The multi-million dollar wedding of Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez is moving ahead, with numerous stars heading to Venice to celebrate, but there is anger from locals.
The sound of church bells will be accompanied by the noise of several protests about the union, with activists saying the city is being used as a playground for the rich. Several effigies of Amazon founder Bezos, whose personal wealth is estimated at more than $220B, have been found around the Italian city over recent days.
The guest list for the three-day event has been tightly guarded, but the likes of Lady Gaga and Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her family are already in Venice.
Oprah Winfrey has also been pictured in Venice, as have Orlando Bloom, Endeavor and TKO Group boss Ari Emmanuel and his wife, designer Sarah Staudinger, Brian Grazer, Barry Diller, Tom Brady, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner and Jordan’s Queen Rania. Local press have named Leonardo DiCaprio and Mick Jagger among the other guests.
The cost of the wedding has been estimated at up to nearly $50M, infuriating locals and activists who claim Amazon pays minimal taxes in European countries and point to Bezos’ use of his extreme personal wealth to effectively take over parts of the historic city, disrupting daily life.
Today, an effigy of Bezos with his pants down sitting on a toilet was installed opposite the Palazzo Ducale near St Mark’s Square, Amazon boxes propping it up. It has been reported that an anonymous art collective known as Kon Artiss is behind the creation, which is known as ‘Pre-Wedding Nerves’.
Yesterday, an effigy of Bezos holding on to an Amazon delivery box while gripping dollar bills was pushed onto the Grand Canal, with an AP video showing tourists watching it float under a bridge.
Earlier this week, activists unveiled a huge banner on the floor of Venice’s central square, reading in capital letters, “If you can rent Venice you can pay more tax.” Other banners have been hoisted in recent weeks and stickers criticizing Bezos can be found all over town.
The venue of the wedding, which takes place tomorrow, has not been revealed. The island of San Giorgio is believed to be where Bezos and Sánchez’s celebrations will take place, but it’s not known if this is where they’ll tie the knot.
Protestors have been successful in having the main party moved from the city center to the lesser densely populated Arsenale, though it was never officially confirmed if the Scuola Grande Della Misericordia cultural space was confirmed for that part of the festivities.
A group of activists operating under ‘No Space for Bezos’ had threatened to fill canals with inflatable crocodiles to block guests from reaching the wedding, which led to the change, according to Italian press.
Luca Zaia, the President of the Veneto regional government, quoted by Reuters, said the wedding and its associated costs will be between €40M-48M ($46.5M-$55.6M). Around 90 private jets are expected to land at Italian airports in or near Venice for the wedding, while five of the most exclusive hotels have been booked out completely.
Numerous outlets on the ground are reporting that locals, tourists and workers’ days are being disrupted by the event, which has been dubbed “the wedding of the century.”
Zaia, who has supported the wedding happening in Venice, said Bezos and Sánchez had donated €3M to three local institutions.
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