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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsU.S. Tourists Arrested For Carving Their initials Into Rome’s Colosseum
Two tourists from California were arrested in the Italian capital, Rome, on Saturday for allegedly engraving their initials into the ancient Colosseum and posing for a selfie, Italian media reported.
The women, aged 21 and 25, allegedly left their tour group and used a coin to engrave the letters J and N some 3-inches high into the walls of the ancient World Heritage site, La Stampa newspaper reported.
The pair were spotted by other tourists and reported to security, with police charging the women with aggravated damage on a building of historical and artistic interest.
We apologize for what we did, the pair reportedly said. We regret it, but we did not imagine it was something so serious.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/idiots-abroad#.pcNRa7WxN
Journeyman
(15,031 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)A Russian tourist was recently fined 20,000 Euro for the same type of offense.
Ugly tourists.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)Trying to think of a country that deserves them.
North Korea?
cbayer
(146,218 posts)I am figuring they are classless spoiled brats. North Korea should be a big wake up call.
uppityperson
(115,677 posts)Idiots.
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)THAT'S serious.
Idiots.
Triana
(22,666 posts)..."we did not imagine it was something so serious.
malaise
(268,998 posts)than their love of self.
Malraiders
(444 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,693 posts)How anyone older than about five in any universe could imagine that was an OK thing to do is beyond me.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)on the Stupidometer.
NV Whino
(20,886 posts)And most important, erase their selfie. That'll teach 'em.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)and wrote on your garage door? Ya think ya'd have a serious problem with it?
TheCowsCameHome
(40,168 posts)It would mean two less morans to deal with back home.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)I also saw people carving into trees in Yosmite.
City Lights
(25,171 posts)What douche bags. Ugh.
sakabatou
(42,152 posts)CTyankee
(63,912 posts)doing this shit for AGES, going back to antiquity. It seems to be a human oddity to want to immortalize yourself in a place you have been. Sorry to say, this has been going on for centuries...think of places like Sicily, where there were so many invaders since ancient times that wanted to carve their names into stone and did so.
I can imagine Napoleon's armies doing the same in ancient cities...and probably WW2 soldiers in Europe.
Not an apologist for them because I truly think the ancient places should be sacrosanct. We should let them alone and just BE.
Puglover
(16,380 posts)But nothing new. At the top of the Strasbourg Cathedral the inside walls is covered with carved graffiti. Some from the 1600's.
Sadly these idjits don't seem to realize it's 2015.
MisterP
(23,730 posts)whatchamacallit
(15,558 posts)These days they seem to be the rule rather than the exception.
lpbk2713
(42,757 posts)If they hadn't been caught they would still be laughing about it.
I hope the US Embassy loses their paperwork and forgets about them.
MADem
(135,425 posts)"...did not imagine it was something so serious?" Would they do that to any of our "new" monuments, like the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial or Statue of Liberty? How about slapping that John Henry up on the Holocaust Museum, or one of the exhibits in the Smithsonian?
How stupid can anyone be?
At least we're not the only ones...a stupid Russian tourist carved a big fat ten inch K in the Flavian Amphitheater three months ago, so USA has got some company in the dumbass department.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)then being kicked out and banned from ever returning, would probably be an appropriate punishment.