Ahead of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s wedding – planned to take place in Venice, Italy – protestors have made it clear the duo will not receive a warm welcome from the city’s residents.

Over the weekend, numerous demonstrations against mass tourism were conducted across southern Europe, protesting tourism’s long history of displacing the local residents and damaging communities and historic sites.

A standout protest was conducted on Friday afternoon by the group “No Space for Bezos” at Venice’s Campo San Giacometo town square. The day before, the group had hung a giant sign with Bezos’ name crossed out.

However, Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is doing his best to make up for the protests – which he is “ashamed” of – with an overly enthusiastic greeting for Bezos. Kissing up to the world’s fourth-richest person, Brugnaro posited that Bezos had “achieved great things on a global level,” and further declared the city was “proud” to serve as his wedding venue.

Though few details of the extravagant wedding have been disclosed, officials have said that 30 of their water taxis (out of 280) had been reserved for the event, along with three or four hotels. 

The city officials’ statement declared Venice to be, “A city that, with dignity and respect, welcomes thousands of visitors from around the world while safeguarding the quality of life for its residents, workers, and students.”

The statement added, “Protest initiatives are in no way representative of the majority of citizens, who are proud that Venice has been chosen as the wedding location.” 

Bezos and Sánchez’s star-studded wedding festivites are expected to begin on June 24 and last three days. 

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Article by Baila Eve Zisman

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