Dutch protesters plan to egg Jeff Bezos’ $700m superyacht

Thousands of people, furious a historic bridge could be taken apart to fit Jeff Bezos’ $700 million superyacht through, have hatched a plan to show their rage.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is spending $700 million on this superyacht. Picture: Dutch Yachting

The rage around Jeff Bezos’ new $700 million superyacht is continuing with thousands of Dutch preservationists planning to bombard the billionaire’s boat with rotten eggs.

Bezos’ new yacht, known as Y721, is being built in the Netherlands, however the mammoth size of the vessel means the only way for it to make it from the shipyard to the open ocean is by the city of Rotterdam taking apart a historic, 140-year-old bridge.

Rotterdam, an hour south of Amsterdam, has not yet confirmed if it will dismantle the iconic Koningshaven Bridge, which locals refer to as “De Hef” (The Lift).

Allowing for a height of around 46m through its central part, it is still not enough to squeeze through the three huge masts of Bezos’ boat.

So part of the bridge needs to be removed to allow the mammoth yacht to pass through, despite city council promises after major renovations ended in 2017 that it will never again be taken apart.

Jeff Bezos’ yacht in the Rotterdam shipyard. Picture: Dutch Yachting/Reuters

The Koningshaven lift bridge. Picture: Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP

Rotterdam residents have taken to social media to vent their anger at the plans, with one local starting an event on Facebook to pelt the boat with rotten eggs.

Pablo Strörmann, 40, sent around the “not too serious” Facebook invite to drum up support for the plan, if Bezos’ yacht makes it into the water.

“Rotterdam was built from the rubble by Rotterdammers and we don’t just take it apart for the phallus symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire,” Mr Strörmann wrote on Facebook, as reported by the Dutch daily BN DeStem.

“Not without a fight.

“People who have a lot of money should understand that they can’t afford everything.”

The Facebook event has exploded in popularity, with close to 3000 people saying they will attend and throw eggs while a further 10,000 said they were interested.

Bezos’ 127m-long yacht in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Picture: Dutch Yachting

Bezos’ yacht has split sentiments in Rotterdam, with some locals proud of the massive build while others are embarrassed by it.

Some see the 127m-long superyacht as a symbol of the excesses of wealth, while others say the yacht should be a source of pride for a city with a deep-rooted history of ship building.

“I think it’s a bit of a shame to dismantle the whole bridge just for some person’s private property to pass through it,” one resident told AFP.

“At first, I thought it was an April Fool’s joke, to be honest,” said Ton Wesselink, president of a Rotterdam-based association to protect historical monuments.

“What worries me is the precedent, because where will it stop?”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Despite earlier confirmation from officials, Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said a decision had not yet been made to remove the middle section of the bridge to give enough clearance for the yacht to pass.

First dating from 1878, De Hef – which connects the Feijenoord neighbourhood with the North Island – was heavily damaged when the Nazis bombed Rotterdam on May 14, 1940.

It was finally closed for train traffic in 1993 and has since been declared a national monument.

Mr Aboutaleb however said he too found the “turmoil quite peculiar,” adding that his office had not yet even received an application for a permit to take the bridge apart.

– with AFP