About 500 people demonstrated in Venice on Saturday to protest Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's wedding to TV presenter Lauren Sanchez in the historic Italian city.
Protesters chanted "Bezos, get out of the lagoon" as they marched through the city center, holding signs reading "Eat the rich" and "Rejected," as well as accusing Venice's mayor of "corruption."
The protest was led by the group "No Place for Bezos," which has campaigned for days against what it calls the detrimental economic and environmental impact of the Bezos and Sanchez wedding on the city.
"We are here against what Bezos stands for, against his model, the Amazon model of exploiting people and land," Alice Pazzoli, 24, a member of the No Place for Bezos group who has lived in Venice for five years, told AFP.
Protesters later unfurled a large banner reading "No Place for Bezos" over the famous Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal and set off fireworks.
Student Matteo Batistuta, 20, said he wanted to send a message that "Venice is fighting back. It's not a dead city. It's working for its own sake before tourism."
He added, "We believe Venice is still a place worth living."
Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, exchanged vows in a ceremony on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, opposite St. Mark's Square.
The wedding featured a week of private parties and events attended by dignitaries and celebrities who arrived in Venice on yachts and private planes, before concluding with a performance by Lady Gaga.
Jeff Bezos, who owns Amazon shares worth an estimated $215 billion, will donate €3 million to the Association for the Protection of the Lagoons, the International University of Venice, and UNESCO, according to Veneto Region President Luca Zaia.
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