Locals in Rotterdam, Netherlands, have been none too pleased with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The backlash against the billionaire began after plans were unveiled to dismantle a historic local bridge to make way for Bezos’ 417-foot-long, three-masted mega-yacht, the German outlet Der Spiegel reported.
On Tuesday, tensions escalated to the point that Oceanco, the company hired to build the yacht, was forced to have the ship towed miles away.
According to Der Spiegel, residents of Rotterdam threatened to throw eggs at the launch of the yacht if the bridge — known as “De Hef,” or “the lift” in Dutch — were dismantled.
Constructed in 1927, De Hef is a vertical lift bridge with a storied history, according to Architectural Digest.
It was the first bridge of its kind to be built in Western Europe and was the “first structured restored” after Rotterdam was bombed in 1940 during World War II.
Nearly one month prior to the towing, in response to the backlash, Oceanco announced it would not be requesting for the bridge to be dismantled.
Even if the plans had gone through, the dismantling would have been only temporary.
Nevertheless, residents of Rotterdam were furious about the prospect.
Hanco Bol, a local yacht enthusiast, filmed and later published a video of the yacht being towed.
Bol told Der Spiegel that the yacht was towed “unusually fast” and normally would have taken “twice as long.”
That was far from the only fact that made the move peculiar.
“According to the yacht expert, the chosen route is also unusual: the ship could have reached its new location much faster through the Koningshaven, says Bol – but then it would have had to drive through the city center and pass the Koningshaven Bridge, which is why the dispute had even started,” Der Speigel reported.
When the maker of Jeff Bezos’s yacht withdrew its request to briefly dismantle part of a Rotterdam bridge, it was cast as a victory of the masses over a billionaire. It was also a chance to see Dutch and American values in a fiery, head-on collision. https://t.co/NRGLukxVlC
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 29, 2022
The outlet also noted the ship was moved “without masts or media hype.”
Thanks to the efforts of local citizens, it appears that De Hef will remain untouched for the time being.