Venice are preparing to host the wedding of the founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez at the end of this month – but not everyone celebrates.
The locals gathered in protest this week and held grades that read “no room for Bezos” and accuses the city officials of favoring billionaires over residents.
Protesting Federica Toninello said, “We want to send a very clear message: those who should be ashamed are they. They are people who destroyed this city.”
Why do they protest against the wedding?
The main island of Venice, a home of approximately 50,000 people, attracts almost 20 million visitors each year. While tourism plays a major role in the urban economy, many inhabitants claim that the growing number of tourists has pushed the locals and damaged historical monuments.
The rest against a highly profile wedding is part of a larger wave of protests against tourism in southern Europe. Demonstrations in Mallorca, Barcelona and Lisbon were also held at the weekend. In Barcelona, some demonstrators even used water weapons to express their frustration with tourists.
The mayor of Venetian Luigi Brugnaro rejected the criticism and said the protests were “ashamed”. He defended the decision of the city to welcome Bezos and called him “honor” and praised billionaires for his global achievements.
The city officials said that the wedding, ready to start on June 24, will not disturb regular transport or local life. Only 30 out of 280 water taxis in the city were booked and only a few hotels are used.
Venice is accustomed to organizing big events, including the wedding and main international summits by George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin from 2014. Nevertheless, the protesters say that the city must choose between becoming a luxury playground or to preserve life for its inhabitants.
(Tagstotranslate) Jeff Bezos
