Ivan+Haley 23: Outrage after tourist captured carving name of girlfriend into Rome’s Colosseum

Italy’s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano is looking out for a man to be “identified and sanctioned” after he was allegedly filmed carving the names of him and his fiancee into the Colosseum in Rome.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Minister Sangiuliano said, “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, a historical heritage (site) such as the Colosseum, to carve the name of his fiancée.”

“I hope that whoever carried out this act will be identified and sanctioned according to our laws,” he added.

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In the tweet, the minister included a blurred image of the young man as well as a video in which he appeared to be using keys for carving letters into one of the walls of the 2,000-year-old Colosseum. The inscription made by the young tourist read “Ivan+Haley 23,” as per the Italian news agency ANSA.

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Video of the tourists circulate on social media

The incident allegedly took place on Friday, and police were alerted about it after the videos started circulating on social media, reported ANSA. The video was uploaded to YouTube and received more than 16,000 views. The tourist, who was wearing a periwinkle shirt and shorts, was seen using keys to etch names into the historical amphitheatre.

One person was heard questioning, “Are you serious, man?”. “That is f – – ked up, man. Stupid a – – hole,” the videographer was heard saying as the man walked away into a group of tourists. When the video was shared on Reddit, several users started appealing for the man’s arrest.

“They got his face, so hopefully he’s arrested and charged,” one user stated. The man, if convicted of a crime, can face up to five years of imprisonment or a fine of at least €15,000 ($16,360), said the news agency said.

Colosseum staffers remain 'unbothered'

Responding to the users, the videographer said that he shared the video with the Colosseum staffers, but they “didn’t seem too bothered.”

“People like this should have their passports revoked,” said a second user. “Tell me you are trash without telling me you are trash,” said a third person. However, some users slammed his passive girlfriend, saying she should have stopped her beau from carving names.

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“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,” wrote the original poster.

“She could be scared to speak up. I’m sure the dude is an ass,” stated 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,” commented a third person.

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