VENICE, Italy, June 23 (Reuters) – World environmental foyer Greenpeace added its voice on Monday to protests in opposition to this week’s superstar wedding ceremony in Venice between American tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sánchez.
The occasion, anticipated to draw some 200 visitors together with U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, in addition to scores of stars from movie, trend and enterprise, has been dubbed “the wedding of the century”.
However some locals see the celebration as the most recent signal of the brash commodification of an exquisite however fragile metropolis that has lengthy been overrun with tourism whereas steadily depopulating.
Activists from Greenpeace Italy and UK group “Everyone hates Elon” (Musk) unfolded a large banner in central St Mark’s Sq. with an image of Bezos laughing and an indication studying: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.”
Native police arrived to speak to activists and examine their identification paperwork, earlier than they rolled up their banner.
“The problem is not the wedding, the problem is the system. We think that one big billionaire can’t rent a city for his pleasure,” Simona Abbate, one of many protesters, informed Reuters.
STEFANO RELLANDINI by way of Getty Photographs
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and regional governor Luca Zaia have defended the marriage, arguing that it’s going to deliver an financial windfall to native companies, together with the motor boats and gondolas that function its myriad canals.
Zaia mentioned the celebrations have been anticipated to price 20-30 million euros ($23-$34 million).
Bezos may even make sizable charity donations, together with 1,000,000 euros for Corila, an instructional consortium that research Venice’s lagoon ecosystem, Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper and the ANSA information company reported on Sunday.
Earlier this month, anti-Bezos banners have been hung from St. Mark’s bell tower and from the famed Rialto bridge, whereas locals threatened peaceable blockades in opposition to the occasion, saying Venice wanted public providers and housing, not VIPs and over-tourism.
The precise dates and places of the glitzy nuptials are being saved confidential, however celebrations are anticipated to play out over three days, more than likely round June 26-28.
(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen, writing by Alvise Armellini, enhancing by Gavin Jones and Mark Heinrich)
