Protests in Venice: Resistance to the luxury wedding of Bezos!

Protests in Venice: Resistance to the luxury wedding of Bezos!

Venedig, Italien - In the picturesque channels of Venice, resistance to the planned luxury wedding by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez is formed. Activists from the "No Space for Bezos" group mobilize themselves on the Rialto market and express their messages with conspicuous demonstrations. A banner with a red cross over Bezos' name is enthroned at the bell tower of the San Giorgio church, while posters with the face of the Amazon founder adorn the streets of the city. The group has clearly communicated that "Venice cannot be sold". They denounce that the city is increasingly being adopted to the playground for super -rich and that the locals can no longer afford life.

The criticism of the wedding celebration is rejected by the city administration. This describes the event as a private festival that does not restrict the population. Water taxis are only reserved for the guests, while regular boat traffic remains unaffected. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is benevolent towards the celebrations and calls the demonstrators a minority. The President of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, also supports the event and is critical of the protests.

protest movement and social tensions

The wedding celebrations are planned for the period between June 24 and 26 and are expected to attract around 250 prominent guests, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry and Ivanka Trump. Musical highlights are set by Lady Gaga. While the preparations for this glamorous event are intensified, the social debate on the effects of mass tourism in Venice remains.

Venice has been suffering from overtourism for years, which forces the city administration to take measures. Planned admission prices for regulating the number of visitors were not implemented, which leads to a persistent burden for the locals. The old town still has around 50,000 inhabitants who live in a growing sea of ​​holiday apartments, which also affects the rental market. Many districts remain calm, while most tourist attractions are overcrowded. Citizens already demonstrated against the overcrowding of the city in 2016, and the activists continue to reduce the tourist offer.

The balance between tourism and quality of life

The city administration plans to regain young families by offering rental subsidies and wants to settle new companies that do not have to do directly with tourism. In addition, the monitoring of the alleys is intensified and increasing traffic control is intended to help manage the currents of tourists. A digital reservation obligation for day guests in central places could be tested in the near future. However, the critics fear that such measures could only shift the problems and also affect the city's calm corners.

The continuing protests against the wedding of Bezos and Sánchez not only reflect the concerns about the influence of super rich on the cityscape, but also illustrate the tensions that mass tourism creates in Venice. More and more people are demanding a rethink of politics to protect the quality of life of the locals.

For more information about the protest movements and the social challenges, with which Venice is confronted, take a look at the reports of vienna.at , href = "https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/italien-venedig-tourismus-100.html"> Tagesschau .