Jeff Bezos’ superyacht is too large to pass through the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, so the town decided to dismantle the bridge. In retaliation, local residents vow to egg Bezos’ yacht as it passed through.
As of Thursday, more than 14,000 people were “interested” and 4,000 confirmed they will attend a Facebook event titled “Throwing eggs at superyacht Jeff Bezos.”
The Dutch port city said it would temporarily break down the historic Koningshavenbrug Bridge because Bezos’ 417-foot-long yacht won’t fit, Agence France-Presse reported.
“Calling all Rotterdammers, take a box of rotten eggs with you and let’s throw them en masse at Jeff’s superyacht when it sails through the Hef in Rotterdam,” organizer Pablo Strörmann wrote in the Facebook post.
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Strörmann told NL Times the Facebook page started out as a joke among friends but “quickly struck a nerve” in the local community.
Bezos’ $485 million superyacht is being built by the Oceano shipyard in Alblasserdam, Netherlands. To make room for the yacht, the middle section of the huge steel bridge will be removed. Bezos will pay for the deconstruction of the bridge, according to the outlet, Dutch News reported.
The Koningshavenbrug bridge was built in 1878 and was reconstructed after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during World War II. Local backlash started after the local council promised it would never dismantle the bridge after a major renovation in 2017. Now residents are angered the government went back on that promise.
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After the criticism, Rotterdam’s mayor told newspapers on Thursday “no decision has yet been taken, not even an application for a permit,” according to The Guardian.
“Normally it’s the other way around: If your ship doesn’t fit under a bridge, you make it smaller. But when you happen to be the richest person on Earth, you just ask a municipality to dismantle a monument. That’s ridiculous,” Strörmann told the NL Times.
Follow Gabriela Miranda on Twitter: @itsgabbymiranda
