Dutch citizens plan to pelt Bezos' yacht with eggs in protest

Rotterdam: Angry Dutch citizens are planning to protest the proposed temporary dismantling of the iconic Koningshaven Bridge, as part of an effort to let the superyacht of Amazon CEO Jeffrey Bezos through. The city's officials have planned to dismantle the central portion to allow the yacht a path to see, as it is too big to pass under.

After a spokesperson confirmed the intent to dismantle the bridge, anger had erupted against the Rotterdam mayor and his officials, while disgruntled citizens have begun a Facebook protest which has invited people to throw eggs at the $485 million dollar superyacht under construction. Over 2000 people have already agreed to attend and a further 13,000 have indicated their interest.

"I'm a Rotterdammer and I think people with a lot of money should realise that they can't get everything," event organiser Pablo Strormann told BN DeStem. "With this call [to egg the superyacht] we make our voice heard in a playful way," he added.

The historic bridge, known to locals as "De Hef" dates back to 1878 and was rebuilt after being bombed by the Nazis in 1940 during World War II. Much of the anger against the council's decision comes from the fact that it had agreed never to dismantle the bridge again, following a major renovation in 2017. The steel-girdered bridge stands 150-feet tall. In order for Mr Bezos' three-masted yacht to pass, the centre part of the bridge will have to be removed.

Billionaire Bezos has agreed to foot the bill for the dismantling according to AFP.

"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," said "Ice", a 34-year-old web developer, to AFP.

However, despite reports and conformations of the project from his own office, Rotterdam's 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.