A tourist was captured on video defacing Italy’s Colosseum by carving ‘Ivan+Haley 23’ into the walls of the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheater, sparking outrage

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“I consider it very serious, unworthy and a sign of great incivility that a tourist defaces one of the most famous places in the world, the Colosseum, to engrave the name of his fiance,” Sangiuliano said, according to a translation by CBS News

Footage of the incident, which was taken by a bystander, shows a grinning, backpack-wearing man using keys to scrawl “Ivan+Haley 23” into the walls of the ancient Roman structure, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater. 

“Are you fucking serious, man?” the person who recorded the video can be heard saying to the culprit before the man turned around and smiled, according to the footage posted to YouTube titled: “Asshole tourist carves name in Colosseum in Rome 6-23-23.”

The man has not been publicly identified. If caught by police, the desecrator could face more than $16,000 in fines and up to five years behind bars, according to Italian news agency ANSA

Italy’s Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanche, said she hoped the man would be punished “so that he understands the gravity of the gesture.”

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