More than 160,000 people sign petition to stop Jeff Bezos from returning to Earth

Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world and the CEO of Amazon, completed his aim to travel into space today (20th July) but not everyone was so keen for him to return to Earth afterwards.

Bezos flew to space via the New Shepard rocket, built by his space venture Blue Origin.

While this is very exciting for the Bezos brothers and their guests, quite a few Earthlings — at least 150,000 of them — aren’t particularly pleased with the billionaire, and would rather he hadn’t returned from space at all.

In June, someone identified as “Ric G” from Ferndale, Michigan created a page on Change.org titled, “Do not allow Jeff Bezos to return to Earth,” the description of which reads: “Billionaires should not exist...on earth, or in space, but should they decide the latter, they should stay there.”

“The recent billionaire space odyssey competition is a slap in the face to working-class folks struggling paycheck to paycheck just to survive. Whether they are struggling with food insecurity, healthcare, shelter, or access to clean water, these issues have a price tag that isn’t quite as unfathomable as the idle billionaires, corporate lobbyists, and Washington bureaucrats would have you believe,” they wrote as part of their passionate plea.

“Billionaires and corporations should pay their fair share. Until then, Jeff Bezos can stay in space until he finds which intergalactic asteroid core contains his compassion and humanity,” they concluded.

In an update shared on June 27, Ric G added: “Bezos team of scientists say they’ve found a way to harness the pain and hunger to exponentially increase thrust capability and propel the ship faster into space.”

Bezos posted on Instagram on June 7: “Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of travelling to space. On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend. #GradatimFerociter.

“To see the Earth from space, it changes you. It changes your relationship with this planet, with humanity, it’s one Earth,” Bezos continued in the video. “I want to go on this flight because it’s a thing I’ve wanted to do all my life. It’s an adventure. It’s a big deal for me. I’ve invited my brother to come on this first flight because we’re closest friends.”

At the time of writing this, which is now after Bezos’s launch, the petition has attained 164,524 signatures. Per Change.org, once it hits 200,000, it will become one of the ‘top signed’ on the site.