FROM what little I know of her (like that’s going to stop me), Lauren Sanchez is a doughty sort. The former TV reporter, children’s author, space traveller, and fiancée of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, does not seem the type to sweat life’s small stuff. But even she drew the line at the inflatable crocodiles.

Ms Sanchez and Mr Bezos are due to wed in Venice at the end of this week. It’s a path that many couples have taken before them; they arrive, get spliced, take some nice photos and go home, mostly without fuss.

Alas, it has not been that way for the Sanchez-Bezos party. Since Venice emerged as the location, protesters have made it their life’s work to be as big a pain in the posteriore as possible. Their latest threat was to jam the area around one party venue with activists riding inflatable crocodiles. Not only has this forced the rewrite of a classic nursery rhyme (“If you see an inflatable crocodile, don’t forget to scream!”), it has meant yet another revision to the couple’s plans.

“Bezos is on the run,” said one protester. “This is a crazy victory for a small group of people with no money who went up against one of the richest men on the planet.”

Venice protest (Image: Getty)

A resident told the Wall Street Journal: “It’s absurd to treat this city like it’s Disneyland. The message this wedding sends is that rich people can do whatever they want. We shouldn’t kneel before wealth like this.”

Quite right, except it is not that simple. Not all rich........

© Herald Scotland