Dutch preservationists said they will bombard Jeff Bezos’ superyacht with rotten eggs if the city of Rotterdam follows through with reported plans to dismantle a section of a 140-year-old bridge to make way for the Amazon founder’s $500 million vessel.
Rotterdam residents took to Facebook to express anger over talk that part of the Koningshaven Bridge, which locals refer to as “De Hef,” will be temporarily removed so that the 417-foot-high Y721 and its three large masts can pass its 130-foot clearance.
Pablo Strörmann, 40, circulated an invite on Facebook urging locals to take action by bringing a case of rotten eggs with them if the yacht makes its way through the waterway.
“Rotterdam was built from the rubble by Rotterdammers and we don’t just take it apart for the phallus symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire,” Strörmann wrote on Facebook, as reported by the Dutch daily BN DeStem. “Not without a fight.”
The Facebook event, which Strörmann reportedly acknowledged as being “not too serious,” has drawn attention from almost 3,000 people who said they will attend while another 10,000 have indicated that they’re “interested.”
When asked what motivated him to make the invite, Strörmann said: “Because I’m a Rotterdammer and I think people with a lot of money should realize that you can’t make everything” go exactly your way, he said. “With this call we make our voice heard in a playful way. And I think that is going very well.”
Last week, the mayor of Rotterdam denied that a final decision had been made about the landmark, which underwent repairs in 2017.
The city council promised residents that the bridge would not be tampered with after the 2017 renovation, but Bezos and Oceanco, the Dutch shipbuilding company that is getting set to unveil the yacht, have pledged to foot the bill for the dismantling.
The company, which is building the yacht just upriver in the town of Alblasserdam, said taking apart a section of the bridge is the only way to get the vessel out to sea.
Taking apart and reassembling the middle section of the bridge was expected to take more than two weeks, according to Dutch-language outlet Rijnmond.
Rotterdam officials touted Bezos’ pet project as a revenue generator.
“From an economic perspective and maintaining employment, the municipality considers this a very important project,” municipal project leader Marcel Walravens reportedly said.
“In addition, Rotterdam has also been declared the maritime capital of Europe. Shipbuilding and activity within that sector are therefore an important pillar of the municipality.”
