Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez make last-minute change to wedding plans
One of the richest men in the world is being protested as locals threaten to fill the canals of Venice with inflatable crocodiles.
Demonstrators against Bezos’s presence in Venice have claimed that they would use these inflatable crocodiles to block celebrity guests arriving to the venue.
The wedding is expected to take place on the island of San Giorgio, one of the city’s most prestigious venues. They have reportedly rented the island for six days.
One protest against the wedding included the unfurling of a banner that read “if you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.”
The wedding will reportedly be moved to the Arsenale, an area of Venice that was one of Europe’s largest industrial complexes. The area is much more secure, being surrounded by walls, and not accessible to the public.
Demonstrators have organized under the phrase “No Space for Bezos,” and they claim that the wedding demonstrates how the city has sold its soul to tourism, at the expense of residents.
On the other side, however, a group have coalesced under the slogan “Yes Venice Can,” consisting of hoteliers, restaurant owners and business associations, the group take the stance that the wedding will bring the economy millions of euros in revenue.
The change of venue could also be down to international security threats. Darco Pellos, Venice’s police chief, said: “We have raised the level of alert as a result of the international situation so as to guarantee the security of tourists and residents.”
These concerns rise from the rumours that members of the Trump family could be attending the event, such as Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump.
Such high profile names could make the event a potential target for terrorist threats, due to the tense situation of the war between Iran and Israel.
Bezos was seen partying on his $500m superyacht, the Koru. Currently anchored off an island on the Adriatic coast, it is expected to arrive in the Venetian Lagoon this week.