Let’s all collectively shed a single tear for billionaire Jeff Bezos and his betrothed Lauren Sanchez, whose dreams of a picture-perfect Italian wedding are crushed.
Thanks to the protesters who tirelessly took to the streets and canals of Venice, the filthy rich couple have been forced to relocate some of the festivities to a shipyard.
A group named No Space for Bezos successfully strong-armed the Amazon founder out of using the 14th-century Grande Scuola Misericordia, a centrally located venue, by planning to form a blockade in the canals around the event on June 28.
“We won! The protest managed to ruin Bezos’ plans and Mayor Brugnaro’s palace games,” the group said in a post obtained by CNN. “They were forced to flee and take refuge in Tese 91 of the Arsenale. Even Bezos’ two yachts, Koru and Abeona, will not arrive in Venice.”
The locals have been making their displeasure known across the city as the wedding day approaches. Bezos’ bald shiny head even made it onto a massive banner unfurled in St. Mark’s Square reading, “IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX.”
And while the venue change counts as a big win, the lovebirds are still causing havoc for locals and tourists across The Floating City just so they can have some illusion of privacy.
According to Page Six, visitors who booked their dream lodging many months ahead of time are being kicked out of the Aman Venice hotel by Bezos’ team so that the couple can have the place entirely to themselves.
“Guests who had previously booked [at] the hotel for Wednesday night a long time in advance were booted once Bezos rented the entire space a few months ago,” a source told the celebrity gossip page.
These guests are being forced to pack up all of their belongings and relocate to another hotel so the couple can do whatever they want. And while these visitors are being offered upgrades and comped nights, their displacement is just another out-of-touch move by uberwealthy snobs who throw money at inconveniences—and people—and expect them to go away.
Once a low-key tech nerd, Bezos has spent the past year flaunting his money and cozying up to Donald Trump, earning him a growing list of critics and enemies. Most people don’t love the concept of ultrarich billionaires who pay hardly any taxes, but it’s an even worse look when those billionaires are also lining the pockets of the president.
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The Amazon founder worth more than $220 billion was among the tech billionaires who donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund and had a primo VIP seat as Trump took the oath of office. The owner of The Washington Post also broke with tradition and did not let the paper’s editorial board endorse Kamala Harris for president.
And while Bezos hasn’t had a front-and-center seat with the president since attending his inauguration, he has hobnobbed with Trump in plenty of other ways.
In addition to streaming his buddy’s old reality show “The Apprentice,” Amazon Prime signed a $40 million documentary deal with first lady Melania Trump as well. Of course, all of this is pocket change compared to Bezos’ military contracts with the government.
His space technology company, Blue Origin, scored a $2.4 billion deal with the U.S. Space Force.
Back in Venice, guests like Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, and Mick Jagger have already been sighted as the wedding date nears. It’s unclear if the president will take time away from his clumsy diplomacy and warmongering to attend the nuptials of one of his top benefactors.
As for why the citizens of Venice pushed back so hard on Bezos and Sanchez’s presence, it could be a multitude of reasons. But maybe they’re just tired of entitled, wealthy American men stomping all over their city.