Image source, Getty Images
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- Author, Sarah Raininsford y Davide Ghiglione
- Author's title, Bbc news en roma
The protesters in Venice proclaim a “huge victory” after the American billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wedding guests were forced to “flee” from the city center and transfer the main celebration to another place.
The site in which the three -day party will be held by Bezos's wedding, one of the richest men in the world, with television presenter Lauren Sánchez, have not been officially revealed.
However, the lavish celebrations had to culminate with an event on Saturday in the sumptuous Scuola Grande della Misericordia, one of the historical buildings of Venice.
A city official confirmed to the BBC that the guests will meet at the Venice Arsenal, an old naval base farther from the center.
The activists won, even when a councilor denounced their protests as “ridiculous.”
“We are very proud of this! We are nobody, we have no money, anything!” Tommaso Cacciari, of the group “No Space for Bezos” (there is no space for Bezos).
“We are only citizens who began to organize and manage to expel one of the most powerful people in the world from the city.”
Image source, Reuters
The guests at the party
The wedding will begin at the end of this week and the guest list is full of stars, among which Kim Kardashian, Mick Jagger and Leonardo DiCaprio are speculated.
Private airplanes are expected to saturate the Venice and Yates airport invade the port. Five hotels are completely reserved and there are reports for the hiring of American exmarines to provide security.
The megaeventa raised protests from various groups, from local residents fighting excessive tourism in Venice to activists against climate change and those who oppose the support of Bezos to the president of the United States, Donald Trump.
In addition to the posters with the message “There is no space for Bezos” that are seen throughout the city in recent days, the activists hung protest banners on the bridges on the channels.
On Monday, activists from a self -denominated group “everyone hates Elon” deployed a giant image of Bezos in the Plaza de San Marcos, to manifest against the Superricos with the motto: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more taxes.”
“Our protest is not about the wedding itself, but what it represents,” Simona Abbate, Greenpeace activist, told BBC.
“This is not just the celebration of the wedding of two people, it is a sample of a simply unsustainable lifestyle. The richest live among excesses, while others suffer the consequences of a climatic emergency that they have not created.”
Image source, Reuters
The “owners” of Venice
The activists were hard criticized by the municipal authorities, who argue that these wealthy visitors are an important source of income.
“These protesters behave as if they were the owners of Venice, but they are not,” Simone Venturini, Councilor for Economic Development, told the BBC. “No one can decide who marries here.”
He added that the groups were “a small minority” and did not represent the city.
“This event has the participation of only 200 carefully selected guests and will contribute important economic benefits to the city,” said the local politician, who added that all events will be held in private premises.
However, the problem of excessive tourism is serious in Venice, as in the rest of southern Europe, where protesters claim that local residents are losing the opportunity to access a beautiful city due to excess visitors.
Climate change also puts this city on the banks of water at serious risk of floods.
Although local authorities charge a daily tourist rate of 5 euros (US $ 5.8) to enter the city, activists claim that this has not prevented the arrival of more people.
Image source, AFP
With the arrival of the first guests at the wedding on Thursday, some activists planned to launch the channels near the key places, along with inflatable alligators. They wanted to try to block the passage of the rich and famous, stop their fun and make clear their position.
This protest was canceled, but “no Space for Bezos” still plans to demonstrate in a city building in the late this week and on Saturday night they summon people to join a march in a last sample of protest.
“Bezos comes to Venice only for the party, that is the problem: this vision of Venice no longer as a city, but as a great theme park where you can rent parts or the whole and simply do your private things,” said Tommaso Cacciari.
“He is sending the message that the entire city is a stage for a multimillionaire party.”
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