U.S. tourists arrested for carving initials into Colosseum

(CNN)Another one for the "tourists behaving badly" file.

 

Two American women have reportedly been arrested for carving their initials into a wall with a coin inside Rome's Colosseum.

 

Daily Italian newspaper La Stampa says the women, aged 21 and 25, were spotted carrying out the act by fellow tourists, who then told security.

 

The two letters -- J and N -- were about eight inches in length and scratched on a brick wall at the historic Roman amphitheater.

 

The women, both from California, reportedly snapped a selfie of themselves with their initials before they were arrested. Their names have not been released.

 

The American pair may now face a fine for "aggravated damage" on a building of historical and artistic interest.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/travel/tourists-arrested-rome-colosseum/index.html

What jerks. I hope they have to pay a lot of money. (The article goes on to report that a Russian tourist was fined 20K euro for carving his name into the Colosseum.) I hope the Italians hold these idiots in jail until they pay up.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/travel/tourists-arrested-rome-colosseum/index.html

 

What jerks. I hope they have to pay a lot of money. (The article goes on to report that a Russian tourist was fined 20K euro for carving his name into the Colosseum.) I hope the Italians hold these idiots in jail until they pay up.

Ditto! :mad:

To paraphrase someone: you can't fix (criminally) stupid.

It's a good thing I wouldn't be the one setting the punishment for them. I'm thinking a nice hefty fine and then perhaps we can feed them to the lions for the afternoon's entertainment in the Colosseum....:cool:

To paraphrase someone: you can't fix (criminally) stupid.

 

It's a good thing I wouldn't be the one setting the punishment for them. I'm thinking a nice hefty fine and then perhaps we can feed them to the lions for the afternoon's entertainment in the Colosseum....:cool:

Idiots! I agree, take them to the Colosseum for a lion show!

Stupid is as stupid does…

I think some time in the fine Italian prison system is in order for these two idiots. Don't do a fine - mommy and daddy would just pony up the money and the girls would learn NOTHING. Want to bet they were wearing tank tops and shorts? And, some people wonder why I dress so I don't look like an American toorist...

They obviously have no morals or education. Things like this make me very angry. Mind you, not as angry as to what Isis have done recently in Iraq.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of ignorant people around.

Gee I wonder if my initials are still inside king tuts tomb circa late 70's?

Btw..... Everyone was doing it and no I don't condone it... But it was what it was and nothing can change that

However..... In this day and age with all the atrocities in the world aimed at Americans.....while I may not like what 2 young Americans did.....there is no way I would say they deserve prison etc.....if they were in certain middle eastern countries would you really say young American females should go to prison? I hope not as sometimes there is no need for political correctness

And fwiw the colesieum is my favorite place in the world and I am inexplicably drawn to it (5 times) so I certainly cherish it......but to say jail time? Nope

And please stop with the mommy and daddy deep pockets stuff..... Many young adult college students are totally self supporting..... I raised a few

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What idiots to have done such a thing! :mad:

Was the damage from the initials being craved able to be repaired?

LuLu

Gee I wonder if my initials are still inside king tuts tomb circa late 70's?

 

Btw..... Everyone was doing it and no I don't condone it... But it was what it was and nothing can change that

 

However..... In this day and age with all the atrocities in the world aimed at Americans.....while I may not like what 2 young Americans did.....there is no way I would say they deserve prison etc.....if they were in certain middle eastern countries would you really say young American females should go to prison? I hope not as sometimes there is no need for political correctness

 

And fwiw the colesieum is my favorite place in the world and I am inexplicably drawn to it (5 times) so I certainly cherish it......but to say jail time? Nope

 

And please stop with the mommy and daddy deep pockets stuff..... Many young adult college students are totally self supporting..... I raised a few

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Wow, when we were in Egypt (Nov 2010) we were told "under no circumstances to touch ANY walls etc. in any of the tombs. We were told by our guide (who we are still friends with on FB) that the penalties were VERY harsh if caught so we kept our hands to ourselves !!!

As for jail time - perhaps a small amount. Not necessarily prison though. So many kids these days figure the consequences won't be so bad so they do "it" I think that is why we have so many problems with the youth today…… just fine em and let em go isn't working.

Gee I wonder if my initials are still inside king tuts tomb circa late 70's?

 

Btw..... Everyone was doing it and no I don't condone it... But it was what it was and nothing can change that

 

However..... In this day and age with all the atrocities in the world aimed at Americans.....while I may not like what 2 young Americans did.....there is no way I would say they deserve prison etc.....if they were in certain middle eastern countries would you really say young American females should go to prison? I hope not as sometimes there is no need for political correctness

 

And fwiw the colesieum is my favorite place in the world and I am inexplicably drawn to it (5 times) so I certainly cherish it......but to say jail time? Nope

 

And please stop with the mommy and daddy deep pockets stuff..... Many young adult college students are totally self supporting..... I raised a few

 

 

 

 

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Whether or not it's right to deface ancient monuments isn't a matter of political correctness. It's just plain wrong. It's only the penalty that's a matter of debate.

Maybe the stupidity of your youth wasn't helped by other people who hadn't adequately taught you right from wrong. I know if I'd tried drawing on Stonehenge at the same time as you were defacing Tutenkhamun's tomb, my parents would have had a lot to say (not to mention taking a certain amount of physical action). But nowadays, it's far more obviously the wrong thing to do because no-one else is doing it, so these two didn't even have your excuse.

there is no way I would say they deserve prison etc.....if they were in certain middle eastern countries would you really say young American females should go to prison?

Why not? Does their age, gender, and nationality make their crime less heinous?

Whether or not it's right to deface ancient monuments isn't a matter of political correctness. It's just plain wrong. It's only the penalty that's a matter of debate.

 

 

 

Maybe the stupidity of your youth wasn't helped by other people who hadn't adequately taught you right from wrong. I know if I'd tried drawing on Stonehenge at the same time as you were defacing Tutenkhamun's tomb, my parents would have had a lot to say (not to mention taking a certain amount of physical action). But nowadays, it's far more obviously the wrong thing to do because no-one else is doing it, so these two didn't even have your excuse.

Omg calm down

Sorry but I will not condone jail for these young women.

Political correctness will be our downfall

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----

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I agree - this has NOTHING to do with political correctness.

It has to do with respect.

Loss of respect is going to be our downfall.

'murica.

How does "political correctness" even enter a discussion about defacing an antiquity? :eek:

Gee I wonder if my initials are still inside king tuts tomb circa late 70's?

 

Btw..... Everyone was doing it and no I don't condone it... But it was what it was and nothing can change that

 

However..... In this day and age with all the atrocities in the world aimed at Americans.....while I may not like what 2 young Americans did.....there is no way I would say they deserve prison etc.....if they were in certain middle eastern countries would you really say young American females should go to prison? I hope not as sometimes there is no need for political correctness

 

And fwiw the colesieum is my favorite place in the world and I am inexplicably drawn to it (5 times) so I certainly cherish it......but to say jail time? Nope

 

And please stop with the mommy and daddy deep pockets stuff..... Many young adult college students are totally self supporting..... I raised a few

 

 

 

 

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Sorry, Crusin6, but your post has confounded me the same as it has others.

No, not "political correctness" - vandalism.

I don't understand why "young American females" should be treated any differently to anyone else, and why you've introduced middle-eastern prisons into a thread about Italy. :confused:

But I agree about prison time.

Nah. Mebbe screw-up their vacation by plenty of time in a police cell and interviews and statements, followed by a spot-fine as fat as will leave them with no spending money or as will hurt their parents hard.

And even pack 'em straight back to the States at their own cost.

But a prison record for an act of foolishness doesn't make sense.

Just MHO.

As always, others will disagree ;)

JB :)

All I can say is that I am horrendously embarrassed at being a Californian when I read this. :(

Detain them, fine them, and send them home with a permanent mark on their passports that prevents them from ever entering Italy again. Of course, they may be too stupid to know that this would be the worst penalty of all.

I love the headline in Corriere della Sera about this: "The Oscar for Stupidity by Tourists on Vacation".

http://www.corriere.it/esteri/cards/oscar-stupidita-turisti-vacanza/iniziali-colosseo_principale.shtml

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/travel/tourists-arrested-rome-colosseum/index.html

 

What jerks. I hope they have to pay a lot of money. (The article goes on to report that a Russian tourist was fined 20K euro for carving his name into the Colosseum.) I hope the Italians hold these idiots in jail until they pay up.

Idiots. Maybe they'll be thrown to the lions.

You nailed it Eurocruiser!

Detain them, fine them, and send them home with a permanent mark on their passports that prevents them from ever entering Italy again. Of course, they may be too stupid to know that this would be the worst penalty of all.

I seem to remember, but cannot find it via internet search so may be completely wrong, that if someone is deported from an EU country to a non EU country for criminal activities then they cannot enter any EU country again?

If true, then perhaps a fine and deportation rather than just 'marking their passport' would be a better punishment and deterrent for others inclined to do the same thing.

Omg calm down

 

 

Sorry but I will not condone jail for these young women.

 

 

Political correctness will be our downfall

 

 

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So basically you are saying they have not done anything wrong, just because you did something stupid in the 70's?

These tourists defaced and damaged an historical monument that is protected by the laws of Italy, but it would be an act of 'political correctness' to punish them?

They deserve whatever the police and courts decide is the correct punishment, and nationality has nothing whatsoever to do with it.

What those girls did makes me sad and angry at the same time. Dumb, yes, stupid, yes, punishment needed, yes.

But I fail to see why it is being labeled as politically correct? Vandalism is a crime, not a political statement, so nice try on that one trying to steer the conversation down that road.