A mannequin of Jeff Bezos floating on a raft has descended into Venice’s canals near the Rialto Bridge, drawing crowds of amused onlookers and selfie-takers.
The figure, apparently steered by a hidden propeller system, marks the latest in a series of surreal protest stunts occurring every three hours over several days.
Earlier interventions included mannequins of Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sánchez in wedding attire floating through the Grand Canal in a gondola.
Another Bezos figure appeared in St Mark’s Square as a giant scarecrow covered in fake dollar bills bearing his face.
The mysterious artist behind these performances, known as “Konn Artiss”, has distributed over 10,000 copies of a satirical newspaper called The Washington Ghost, featuring the headline “Male Orders Bride”.
These stunts follow earlier protests by environmental group Greenpeace, who unfurled a giant banner in St Mark’s Square on Monday reading: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax”.
The group accused Bezos of paying “poverty wages” to staff and “tax dodging”.
Local activists have formed the No Space for Bezos movement, plastering the city with posters declaring “Veniceland: A playground fit for an oligarch”.
Protesters have threatened to flood Venice’s canals with inflatable crocodiles to disrupt the three-day wedding festivities, scheduled for June 26 – 28.
“Venice is being treated like a showcase, a stage,” Federica Toninelli, affiliated with No Space for Bezos, told the BBC.
“And this wedding is the symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders.”
The wedding celebrations, expected to cost between £7.5 million and £8.7 million, will reportedly host around 200 guests including Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Katy Perry, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
The couple has asked attendees to make charitable donations instead of bringing gifts.
Wedding planners Prince Antonio Licata di Baucina and Count Riccardo Lanza defended their preparations, stating their clients “explicitly instructed them to minimize any disruption to the city during their three-day wedding festivities”.
They denied rumours of “taking over the city” by extensively booking water taxis or gondolas.
The planners confirmed 80 percent of wedding supplies are being sourced from Venetian vendors.
Due to safety concerns, Bezos reportedly booked multiple venues across several days and was forced to change a Saturday after-party location last minute.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has voiced support for the event, estimating a “multi-million dollar” economic impact on the city.
Regional governor Luca Zaia echoed this sentiment, telling Corriere della Sera: “This is a city that handles 150,000 people a day.”
However, protesters argue the wedding exemplifies broader issues facing Venice.
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“We reject the exploitative logic that sees the city as a commodity,” Federica Toninello, spokesperson for No Space for Bezos, told Page Six.
She accused Mayor Brugnaro of choosing to sell Venice instead of “addressing the real problems its residents face — rising living costs, housing prices, the depopulation of the historic centre.”
“These kinds of events create precarious, seasonal jobs that are overly dependent on foreign demand. But Venetians need stable employment with fair wages,” Toninello added.
