Italy: Cops Say UK Tourist Defaced Rome's Colosseum

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Facts

  • The Italian Carabinieri paramilitary police said it has identified the man filmed last week engraving his and his partner's names into a wall of Rome's 2K-year-old Colosseum as a tourist from the UK but declined to name the suspect.1
  • The police stated the couple, who reportedly lives in Bristol, were located in Bulgaria on Friday. The UK-based fitness instructor carved 'Ivan + Hayley 23' – allegedly his and his partner's names – into the ancient brickwork.2
  • According to Major Roberto Martina, after the police secured his mobile phone from hotel records and contacted him, the suspect apologized and expressed remorse for the vandalism.2
  • The perpetrator faces a fine of up to €15K and up to five years in prison if charged and convicted.3
  • Despite stiff penalties, last week's vandalism was at least the fourth such incident reported this year at the Colosseum.4
  • The Colosseum, one of the best-known symbols of Imperial Rome, is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place of 'outstanding universal value.'5

Sources: 1Euronews, 2Daily Mail, 3New York Times, 4Los Angeles Times and 5BBC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by USA Today. The perpetrator should be apprehended and sanctioned to the full extent of the law for his dumbfounding act. However, the authorities must also be held accountable for failing to protect and preserve the Colosseum and allowing the tourists to use the ancient landmark as a billboard to declare their love.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Independent. While deplorable, this is nothing new: The suspect is one of many who have visited historical tourist destinations around the world and committed vandalism — an innate, albeit inconsiderate, human behavior. There may be little that can be done to prevent these incidents. It will take a return to civility and decency to reduce the mistreatment of these sites.