It’s hard to confuse the beaches of Hawaii with the canals of Venice. And yet, the mayor of Venice (Italy) castigated this Wednesday the “two idiots” who were filmed doing electric surfing on the Grand Canal, promising a dinner to anyone who identified them.
“Here are two arrogant idiots laughing at our city,” wrote Luigi Brugnaro, posting a video showing two young men on motorized boards on the Italian city’s most famous waterway. “I’m offering dinner to those who identify them!” “.
Other videos showing them making several passes and slaloming between the gondolas have been posted on social networks and in particular by the account “Venezia non è Disneyland” (Venice is not Disneyland), which aims to make tourists aware of the respect for the Italian city.
Later, after his Twitter call went viral, Luigi Brugnaro announced that the duo had been found and their boards confiscated. He added that they would be treated “as they deserve”.
He seemed to admit, however, that there was little he could do to stop the two surfers, saying: “There is an urgent need to give more powers to mayors in matters of public safety. »
After turning into a ghost town during the period of confinement due to Covid-19, Venice is once again attracting tourists from all over the world and its canals are, as before the pandemic, animated by intense boat traffic.
Mass tourism and inappropriate behavior are regularly pointed out by heritage advocates and city residents. Last week, Luigi Brugnaro demanded ten days in prison for a Scottish tourist who was arrested while bathing in a canal, recalls the Guardian. In 2020, a French tourist had to pay a fine of 150 euros for navigating the Grand Canal on a Stand up paddle.