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Creepy mannequins of Jeff Bezos and his fianceé Lauren Sanchez glided on a gondola through Venice ahead of the billionaire’s wedding in the iconic Italian city.
Two six-foot mannequins were seen floating down the famous Grand Canal in a stunt protesting the lavish marriage ceremony planned by the Amazon boss.
The world’s third richest man is due to tie the knot with television journalist and author Lauren Sanchez in the ‘city of masks’ in a closely guarded soiree at some point this week.
But protestors have vowed to disrupt the event, which reportedly cost upwards of $15million to organise.
They launched the stunt in protest at perceived overtourism in the city and the ‘absurd wealth theatre’ on display.
The dolls were dressed in wedding attire as they were guided down the Grand Canal by a black and white-stripped gondolier.
Behind the eye-catching event is an anonymous protest group called Konn Artiss, who paraded another Bezos mannequin in the heart of the Vatican hours earlier.
A golden Bezos, dressed in dollar bills, was placed in St Mark’s Square by the group.
The statue, surrounded in bird feed, was swamped by pigeons before being carted off by the police.
The group say their attention-seeking events are protesting the ‘global spectacle of luxury’ of the wedding.
They told Metro: ‘Venice is sinking year on year, yet the richest man on earth is celebrating like a Roman emperor.
‘This is a city where the working class are working hard and cannot pay their bills.
‘We are not protesting love, we are protesting luxury without accountability. It is a spectacle of excess when we live in a time when the gap between the richest and poorest is getting bigger.
‘The power the working class have is seemingly diminishing.’
The anonymous ‘merry band’ say they are planning something else in Venice to coincide with the wedding.
Konn’s stunts followed a protest by the charity Greenpeace on Monday in the square.
They unfurled a banner, which read: ‘If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax’ in thick capital letters.
Other activists have come together under the slogan ‘No Space for Bezos’ – a twist on the Amazon founder’s space exploration project called Blue Origin.
They say the wedding comes at the expense of locals, who are facing a housing shortage and the closure of basic services.
But some locals are welcoming the wedding celebrations, as are Italian and Venetian officials.
They have adopted the slogan ‘Yes Venice Can’ and mainly consist of Venetian hoteliers, restaurateurs and business owners.
In a statement, the group said: ‘We cannot allow a noisy minority to discredit the image of this city in the eyes of the world.
‘We will put on the very best welcome for Bezos, as we always do for those who choose Venice as a holiday destination or as a backdrop to big events.
‘Venice is a city that welcomes people – it doesn’t turn them away.’
The Bezos-Sanchez nupitals began lavishly with a foam party on board Bezos’s £371 million superyacht.
The three-masted ship, named the Koru, will arrive in Venice this week as guests fly in on private jets for the ceremony.
Rumoured to be among the guests are Kylie Jenner and Oprah Winfrey, as well as Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Lady Gaga and Elton John are also reportedly attending.
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