German Tourists got fined and kicked out for making coffee near Rialto Bridge. Photo Doc. Gulf News

For The Sake of Decency, Two German Backpackers are Punished for Making Coffee near Rialto Bridge

Zahara Sakinah Abdullah
Scandal
Legal
Jul 20, 2019
3738
Two German backpackers, 32 and 35, were fined a total of €950 for making coffee for themselves on a small travel cooker on the steps of the famous Rialto Bridge. Not only being fined, they were also ordered to leave the city.

The Berliners had stopped for a rest while putting off their backpacks to prepare a cup of coffee using a little gas stove. This act was caught by a local resident that eventually reported them to the authorities.

The tourists were then marched to a police station. The act cost them €950 or equals to US$1,066 fine under new rules brought in by centre-right council as part of public order crackdown in the streets and canals of the tourist-packed lagoon city that was passed in May this year.

The mayor of the city Luigi Brugnaro stated that Venice must be treated with respect. He demand the tourists that come to the city and tend to be impolite and think can do what they want must understand that. He is thankful to the local police that such tourists can be stopped, fined, and sent away. The authorities also commit to communicate the identities of people who have been asked to leave the embassies and consulates to their home country.

The new law sets out rules for decency, cleanliness and safety in the lagoon city that has a population of just 55,000 but crowded with around 30 million visitors every year and is increasingly feeling the detrimental effects of mass tourism. It includes banning certain activities, such as picnicking at certain sites, bathing in fountains, and not wearing a shirt in public spaces.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49054042

travel , law , venice , tourism