Rome, tourist carves girlfriend's name on Colosseum. Sangiuliano: He should be identified and sanctioned

He carved using a key his name (Ivan) and his girlfriend Hayley’s name on a wall in the Colosseum.The vandalism was carried out by a tourist vacationing in Rome, but the perpetrator has not yet been identified. Law enforcement officials are trying to identify “Ivan.” The tourist now faces up to five years in prison and a 15,000 euro fine

The gesture was filmed by another visitor who witnessed the scene: approaching the tourist he allegedly said, “Are you serious?” at which point the tourist turned smiling toward the camera. The visitor then posted the video on Reddit, writing, “Tourist str...o carves his girlfriend’s name on the wall of the Colosseum.” The author of the video recounted that he reported the incident to staff. The Colosseum Archaeological Park Authority filed the complaint for the damage.

“I consider it extremely serious, undignified and a sign of great incivility that a tourist would scar one of the most famous places in the world, a heritage of history such as the Colosseum, to carve the name of his girlfriend,” commented Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano. “I hope that whoever made this gesture at the Flavian Amphitheater will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws.”

“Truly an uncivilized and senseless gesture to deface with keys the Colosseum, a symbol of Rome and heritage of humanity,” the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, wrote in a tweet. “We strongly condemn this barbaric behavior that offends the whole city and the whole world. I hope that the person responsible will be sanctioned as he deserves.”

Rome, tourist carves girlfriend's name on Colosseum. Sangiuliano: He should be identified and sanctioned

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