Global environmental organization Greenpeace joined protests on Monday against this year's celebrity wedding in Venice, between American tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Laura Sanchez.
Around 200 guests are expected to attend the event, including US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, as well as numerous stars from the worlds of film, fashion and business. The wedding has already been dubbed the "wedding of the century".
However, some locals see the celebration as further evidence of the arrogant commercialization of this beautiful but fragile city, which has long suffered from the consequences of mass tourism, while the local population is increasingly leaving the city, writes Reuters.
Activists from Greenpeace Italy and the British group "Everybody Hates Elon" (Mask) unfurled a large banner in the central St. Mark's Square, with a picture of a smiling Bezos and the caption: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more taxes."
Local police arrived at the scene to speak with the activists and check their identification documents, after which they rolled up the banner.
"The problem is not the wedding, but the system. We believe that one billionaire should not be able to rent out an entire city for his own pleasure," Simone Abat, one of the protest participants, told Reuters.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and regional governor Luca Zaia defended the wedding, arguing it would bring significant economic benefits to local businesses, including the motorboats and gondolas that ply the canals.
Zaia stated that the celebration is expected to cost between 20 and 30 million euros.
Bezos will also donate significant funds to humanitarian causes, including one million euros to Korila - an academic consortium studying the ecosystem of the Venetian lagoon, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper and the ANSA agency.
Earlier this month, anti-Bezos banners were hung from St. Mark's bell tower and the famous Rialto Bridge, while locals threatened peaceful blockades, saying Venice needed public services and housing, not VIP guests and excessive tourism.
The exact dates and locations of the glamorous wedding events are being kept secret, but the celebration is expected to last three days, most likely between June 26th and 28th.
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