Tourist caught on video carving names into Rome’s Colosseum
A tourist sparked outrage Friday after he carved his and another person’s name into the walls of the Roman Colosseum using a set of keys.
The video, which was uploaded to YouTube and has been viewed nearly 16,000 times, shows the tourist, who was wearing a periwinkle shirt and shorts, etching what appears to be “Ivan + Hayley 23” into the nearly 2,000-year-old building.
“Are you serious, man?” questioned the person behind the camera while the graffiti artist, presumedly Ivan, turns around with a mischievous grin while the woman next to him does nothing.
“That is f – – ked up, man. Stupid a – – hole,” continues the videographer as he walks away into a group of milling tourists.
The video was also posted to Reddit where several users started calling for the man’s arrest.
“They got his face, so hopefully he’s arrested and charged,” said one user.
The videographer responded by saying that he showed Colosseum staffers the video, but they “didn’t seem too bothered.”
“People like this should have their passports revoked,” challenged a second user.
“Tell me you are trash without telling me you are trash,” slammed a third person.
Other users went after the passive girlfriend and claimed that she should have stopped her beau.
“The fact she stood there the whole time and went along with it means she’s just as much of the problem as he is. F – – k ‘em both,” slammed the original poster.
“She could be scared to speak up. I’m sure the dude is an ass,” said a second commenter.
“If someone tried to impress me by doing this I’d just think they were a huge piece of s – – t and wouldn’t want to date them. Unfortunately, she’s likely also a huge piece of s – – t,” said a third person.
According to Italian law, should the man ever be caught, he is likely to face a fine of up to nearly $22,000 as well as possible jail time as the Colosseum has been designated a World Heritage site.
This is, however not the first time someone had the “when in Rome” attitude and attempted to leave their mark on the historic amphitheater.
In 2015, two American tourists were given a permanent souvenir of a criminal record after they were picked up by Italian police officers after carving their initials into the building and then taking a selfie with the evidence.
Both tourists were charged with “aggravated damage to a building of historical and artistic interest,” according to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, and slapped with a $21,808 fine.