Tourist sparks outrage after defacing iconic ancient building in Rome
Tourist caught in the act of defacing Rome Colloseum
Reddit
Caught in the act, a tourist has been spotted carving a message into the walls of the Colosseum in Rome.
Video footage of the crime was posted on Reddit, showing the man dressed in a blue t-shirt and shorts, using keys to write 'Haley' into the 1,937-year-old building.
A tourist who was filming, approaches the man, who is being watched by a woman as he defaces the Colosseum.
The vandal continues etching into the stone as he turns and grins at the camera.
Outraged viewers called for the video to be sent to the police so the man, branded an "a**hole" in the comments, could be arrested.
The graffiti sparked outrage on social media
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One commentator said they had seen the man on the day, stating: "I was there and saw that too. The guy didn't even think he was doing something wrong."
Another comment read: 'Rome (indeed most Italian cities I visited) are awash with graffiti. But it seems the graffiti people leave the historical stuff alone.This is a tourist being an a** though...what a colossal d*** thing to do"
This is not the first time a tourist has been caught carving in to the monument. In the past vandals have had to face huge fines of up to £16,000.
In 2014 a security guard caught a 42-year-old Russian tourist carving a 25cm 'K' into the wall. He was ordered to pay a £15,800 fine.
Other vandals have had to pay huge fines
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Most recently, in 2020, an Irish tourist was reported to officers by the guards, accused of carving his initials into the building.
Rossella Rea, the director of the Colosseum, believes that the large fines are justified for damaging "a magnificent and symbolic monument".
"You cannot write on a historic wall, it's absolutely forbidden," she stated.
The Rome Colosseum is known to be one of the seven wonders of the world, and despite its age it still holds the title for being the largest standing amphitheatre.
Before it was a tourist attraction and a popular filming site, it was a place for ancient Romans to gather to watch gladiatorial fights and staged animal hunts.
Graffiti in the Colosseum dates back to the Roman times after drawings by the gladiators themselves were uncovered during restoration work in 2013.
The work on a passageway also revealed a number of names drawn by visitors in the 1940s.
Archaeologists hope that high fines will discourage visitors from further defacing the beloved structure, and show the lack of tolerance for criminal damage .