Because of historical bridge
Dispute over Bezos’ super yacht: Thousands of people in Rotterdam are planning an egg shower for the maiden voyage
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a new super yacht built in Rotterdam. For the transport to the sea, however, a bridge has to be dismantled.
© Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is having the second largest yacht in the world built in Rotterdam – and is therefore risking the anger of the residents. They don’t agree with the planned dismantling of a historic bridge because of the yacht. And plan your very own reception.
The dispute over Jeff Bezo’s super yacht is entering the next round. Because the masts of the 127-meter-long giant sailing ship are too high to pass the historic bridge De Hef, the city administration planned to temporarily dismantle the listed building. Much to the annoyance of the citizens. They have now arranged to say goodbye to Bezo’s boat when it leaves – with a rain of eggs.
They have created a special event on Facebook for this purpose. The organizers are planning for June 1st “Eggs gooien naar superyacht Jeff Bezos” (e.g. throwing eggs at Jeff Bezos’ superyacht). The requirements for participation are easy to explain: the invitation calls on all Rotterdammers to come to the bridge with a box of rotten eggs – and to throw off the yacht as it passes en masse.
Rotterdammers want to fight
“Rotterdam has been rebuilt from its ruins and we will not destroy it again for the phallic symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire. Not without a fight,” the description continues.
The invitation is slowly picking up speed. 2,300 people have already agreed to appear, and a further 8,300 have expressed their interest. Compared to yesterday, this is almost twice as much, so the number of participants could increase significantly by June.
Open-ended dispute
However, it is not yet clear whether this will ultimately happen. After the residents’ anger slowly spread in the media and social networks, Rotterdam’s Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb announced on Thursday that the city had not yet decided whether the bridge would actually be dismantled. So far, there hasn’t even been an application for a permit, he told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.
However, it is definitely planned. The project manager and bridge manager Marcel Walravens called them no alternative at a city council meeting. The historic bridge is quite high at 46 meters, but it cannot handle the masts of the giant yacht. In order to enable passage, the bridge would not be demolished, but temporarily dismantled, he emphasized. “From an economic point of view and in terms of job preservation, the municipality considers this project to be very important.”
The yacht as a symbol
Many citizens see it differently. On the one hand, because there was a clear promise from the city regarding the bridge: After a renovation in 2017, the city promised that the bridge should no longer be rebuilt or even dismantled. But for some it’s just a matter of principle. They are upset that the bridge is supposed to make way for a status symbol of one of the richest people in the world. “Jeff Bezos made his money with structural downsizing, tax evasion, circumvention of regulations and now we have to tear down our beautiful national monument? That’s really going too far,” said a spokesman for the GroenLinks party.
In fact, the super yacht, which costs around 440 million euros, is an excellent symbol for the extremes of capitalism. With a length of 127 meters, she is the second largest yacht ever built. Despite its size, it doesn’t offer everything a rich heart desires. The yacht will not cruise alone, but as a fleet with another ship. Parts of the load and the crew will then be accommodated on it. And the much needed helipad.
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