Russian visitor fined 20,000 euros for vandalizing Rome's Colosseum

[webfact]

Russian visitor fined 20,000 euros for vandalizing ancient monument


Image source: Internet

ROME, Italy - Italian authorities say a Russian tourist has been fined 20,000 euros ($25,000) for engraving a big letter 'K' on a wall of the Colosseum, the latest act of vandalism by tourists at the ancient structure.

Italian news agency ANSA reported that the 42-year-old tourist was given a summary judgment of a fine and a suspended four-year jail sentence on Saturday.

He was spotted by a guard as he used a pointed stone to carve the 25-centimeter-tall letter.

Union leaders, citing recent acts of vandalism, have complained about the lack of personnel to properly monitor Rome's archaeological treasures — with increasing numbers of visitors seeking to leave their trace on antiquity, causing incalculable damage.

It was the fifth incidence of vandalism by foreign tourists at the Colosseum this year.

Source: http://www.eturbonews.com/52884/russian-visitor-fined-20000-euros-vandalizing-ancient-monument

-- eTN 2014-11-24

[Anthony5]

Well, in a thousand years from now historians will be breaking their heads with theories what the meaning of the letter K was.

[NeverSure]

They should hang him by his privates.

I wonder if Europeans are as in awe of those kinds of things as Americans are. Anything 200 years old is ancient here. The pioneers and settlers built quickly out of wood and often they used logs.

The White House in DC opened in 1800.

The first time I saw things like the Coliseum I was an adult.

I think they let the guy off easy.

[BigBadGeordie]

Quality Tourist

[up-country_sinclair]

42 years old?

[hanno]

I applaud the fine and hope they can enforce it.

[A1Str8]

I don't understand these low life things. Nobody cares about them so why they try to carve their initials into things that do not belong to them is beyond me.

[ronrat]

If someone did that to a muslim of buddhist shrine they wouldn't be going home. Well not breathing anyway.

[oneday]

With fines like that they can afford to hire a whole platoon of monitors to watch for vandalism.

Edited November 24, 2014 by oneday

[elgordo38]

Fines are OK but they should brand AHOLE on his forehead.

[Scully]

They should hang him by his privates.

I wonder if Europeans are as in awe of those kinds of things as Americans are. Anything 200 years old is ancient here. The pioneers and settlers built quickly out of wood and often they used logs.

The White House in DC opened in 1800.

The first time I saw things like the Coliseum I was an adult.

I think they let the guy off easy.

My old house in the uk was older than the white house and the local church was 16th century, just saying.

[AyG]

What he did was crass and totally unacceptable. However, a 20,000 fine seems totally disproportionate. After all, in some countries you can run over and kill a policeman on a motorcycle in your Ferrari in the small hours of the morning whilst allegedly high on drugs and drunk and not pay that much.

[hanno]

What he did was crass and totally unacceptable. However, a 20,000 fine seems totally disproportionate. After all, in some countries you can run over and kill a policeman on a motorcycle in your Ferrari in the small hours of the morning whilst allegedly high on drugs and drunk and not pay that much.

That is in some countries and this case has nothing to do with that an idiot knowingly and willingly damaged a world heritage.

[wabothai]

Also in Russia there are numerous uncivilized creatures.

[vogie]

Well, in a thousand years from now historians will be breaking their heads with theories what the meaning of the letter K was.

Kristianity?

[BigSkip]

What he did was crass and totally unacceptable. However, a 20,000 fine seems totally disproportionate. After all, in some countries you can run over and kill a policeman on a motorcycle in your Ferrari in the small hours of the morning whilst allegedly high on drugs and drunk and not pay that much.

That is in some countries and this case has nothing to do with that an idiot knowingly and willingly damaged a world heritage.

How could he NOT Know.................42 years old??? NOT a child. throw the dam book at him.................

[super22k]

He should be thrown to the lions.Or maybe with the K he was starting to write Kentucky Fried Chicken.

[JacChang]

I think he needed a work permit to engrave that letter K on the wall.

[Lissos]

I wonder if it is worth looking at the nationality of the culprit.

I don't know how schooled the average Russian is on heritage preservation, and I can recall seeing recently carved (because they love to include the date) cyrllic script carved onto, or nearby, various historical sites increasingly in recent years, usually taking the form of something like - "Sasha and Levina woz here". Let's face it, given the vast expanse of Russian history, there is very little remaining heritage wise (in terms of physical sites) over in Russia, apart from the period of the last few centuries, and perhaps they don't have the sort of 'code' usually drummed into the average school child in Europe about conduct when visiting. Every time I return to Britain after going overseas, our sites seem utterly pristine (admittedly, sometimes over regulated and commercial) in comparison to much of the non western world. Visitor trash (including entire discarded plastic plates and wrapping of ready meals) discarded bhy visitors in historical sites and at beautifual natural viewpoints seems to be seen as 'normal', along with areas of sites being used as toilets. I say compared to the non western world, but even in parts of Southern Europe historical sites can be found plastered with graffiti and trash. In some cases it is a real lack of money channeled to such sites by Government. Much of the time, it is just a lack of local visitor education.

[daveAustin]

They should hang him by his privates.

I wonder if Europeans are as in awe of those kinds of things as Americans are. Anything 200 years old is ancient here. The pioneers and settlers built quickly out of wood and often they used logs.

The White House in DC opened in 1800.

The first time I saw things like the Coliseum I was an adult.

I think they let the guy off easy.

My old house in the uk was older than the white house and the local church was 16th century, just saying.

Where's that, Milton Keynes?

Our one house was 350 years old when we moved in, part of the local pub was said to date back to the 14th century and the church in town to the 11th century.

[bangon04]

You should see what the Chinese tourists regularly carve into the Great Wall just to say they have been there....

[frollywolly]

His punishment should be completion of his grafitti; a big 'O' tattooed on his stomach.

[copa8]

You should see what the Chinese tourists regularly carve into the Great Wall just to say they have been there....

Or the white tourists too, for that matter.

[ABCer]

A combined result of

Ignorance

Lack of identity

Lack of respect for anything

Need of attention

I would reserve the $25,000 for the future and enforce 4 years jail sentence.

Unfortunately conditions in Italian jails are too good for a Russian.

[ABCer]

A combined result of

-Ignorance

-Lack of identity

-Lack of respect for anything

-Need of attention

I would reserve the $25,000 fine for the future and enforce 4 years jail sentence.

Unfortunately conditions in Italian jails are too good for a Russian to serve as a deterrence.

[JemJem]

If he doesn't/cannot pay the fine, how long will he spend in jail, I wonder,

[tw25rw]

Forget fines etc. Just deport him with a note in his passport saying why.