World’s 3rd Richest Billionaire, 61, Ditches His Wife for Lavish Wedding With New Flame—Local Residents Erupt in Outrage, Protests Erupt Over Scandalous Romance, Unimaginable Wealth, and Public Backlash: What Really Drove the Split and Why This Ceremony Has Sparked Global Controversy?

The 61-year-old billionaire’s lavish wedding in the heart of Venice faced chaos when the city’s residents announced that they would release inflatable crocodiles blocking the entrance to welcome guests.

The wedding of billionaire Jeff Bezos in Venice had to change venue at the last minute, not because of rain or security reasons, but because of inflatable crocodiles. This is a protest by the group “No Space for Bezos”, who do not accept the fact that a wealthy individual turns the whole city into a stage for his wedding ceremony.

Initially, the grand wedding ceremony between the Amazon founder and his fiancée, former TV MC Lauren Sánchez was planned to take place at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a magnificent 16th-century building in the heart of Venice. But activists have vowed to release inflatable crocodiles into the canal that surrounds the site, turning the entrance into a “swamp” that stands in the way of high-profile guests including Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ivanka Trump.

As a result, the wedding venue was moved to the Arsenale – an ancient shipyard complex surrounded by walls, more discreet and more inaccessible to protesters. Although local officials cite security reasons, many believe that it is social pressure and “crocodile herds” that are the real cause.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is fiancée. Photo: The Guardian

Although the specific date and time are unknown, local media say the wedding ceremony will take place over three days, starting Thursday with the ceremony of exchanging vows at the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, the island named after St. George. The main party will be held on Saturday, with about 200 guests and nearly 100 private planes landing at Venice airport.

Earlier, groups such as Greenpeace Italia and “Everyone Hates Elon” joined in with a giant banner in St Mark’s Square: Bezos laughing with the slogan “If you can hire Venice for the wedding, you can also pay more taxes”. Along the street is a series of posters depicting Jeff Bezos’ head mounted on a rocket, a swirling kick at his Blue Origin space travel program.

Protest banners were brought into the square by Venetian residents. Photo: The Guardian

The “No Space for Bezos” movement opposes turning Venice, a world cultural heritage site that is already miserable because of tourism, into a runway for the super-rich. “One person rents the whole city for three days? It’s disgusting,” one movement member shared. Although they couldn’t stop the wedding, they still saw forcing Bezos to change their plans as a victory.

While Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro criticized the protesters as “embarrassing”, the mayor of the town of Soàve, which has only 7,000 inhabitants, was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. He invited the couple to hold a wedding in his hometown: “Venice is really unique, but getting married in the most beautiful village in Italy is not bad.”

Source: The Guardian