Bezos wedding venue changed due to ‘inflatable crocodile’ threat, says protester

The new wedding party location is only accessible by boat and cannot be reached by land when the connecting bridges are raised up.

Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos has reportedly had to change one of his wedding event venues in Venice after a group of protesters threatened to block the canals surrounding the location with inflatable crocodiles, according to The Guardian.

The tech billionaire and his wife-to-be, Lauren Sanchez, a former journalist, were supposed to host a wedding party at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a historic building dating back to the 1300s, but pivoted at the last minute amid protest and safety concerns, reports the U.K. outlet.

The venue change was also due in part to security concerns, after the U.S. bombed Iran, and because President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, is in Venice for the wedding.

Venetian authorities have increased security throughout the city, particularly in the Jewish neighbourhood, the British outlet added.

Activists say they will not try to stop the wedding but will organize a “no Bezos, no war” march instead.

“We feel as if we scored a victory,” one activist, whom the Guardian did not name, said. “The crocodile initiative would have given a bad impression of the city — this is why the venue was changed, even if the authorities might try to claim it was because of the war.”

The couple will now host their guests at Arsenale di Venezia, a fortified 14th-century complex of shipyards in the eastern Castello district, Reuters reported.

The new location is only accessible by boat and impossible to reach by land when the connecting bridges are raised.