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A bridge in Rotterdam is set to be dismantled to let Jeff Bezos’s yacht pass through. But an unusual resistance is being organized.
The Koningshavenbrug Bridge, nicknamed De Hef, is an iconic pre-war landmark of Rotterdam.
AFP
Billionaire Jeff Bezos gets a luxurious yacht built in the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Problem: The Amazon founder’s boat will be so big that it will take dismantling a historic bridge for it to reach the sea. And this prospect does not please many residents of the city at all, who plan to protest in an unusual way, with a shower of rotten eggs.
The Koningshavenbrug Bridge, known to the Rotterdam people as De Hef, is an iconic pre-war monument of the city. It had been partially rebuilt after the bombing of the German army during the Second World War. To allow the passage of the yacht estimated at just over 450 million francs, it will be necessary to temporarily remove the central part of the bridge. However, the municipality promised after a major renovation in 2017 never to dismantle the structure, classified as a national monument.
4000 inhabitants want to participate
In response to this project, an unusual counterattack is being organized. On Facebook, an appeal has been made for rotten eggs to be thrown on the yacht when it crosses the bridge… And it is a success: almost 14,000 citizens have expressed interest and almost 4,000 claim that they will participate.
“Appeal to all the Rotterdam people, bring a box of (rotten) eggs or if you want the vegan version, tomatoes, and throw them en masse on Jeff’s superyacht when it sails through the Hef of Rotterdam,” the organizer writes. And to add that he opposes the dismantling of the historic bridge for “the phallic symbol of a megalomaniac billionaire”.
However, it is not clear when this crossing could take place. According to the mayor of the city, Ahmed Aboutaleb, the municipality has not yet received any application for a permit from the builder to temporarily dismantle the bridge.