The wave of incidents of vandalism that is taking place throughout Europe continues after the events that occurred in the Roman Colosseum in which up to three tourists decided to engrave their names on the rock of the historic monument. In that sense, a statue of great historical and cultural value has been the victim of an irresponsible and devastating act by a group of german touristsamong whom was the famous influencer Janis Dannerwho has more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram. The incident occurred in the Italian town of Viggiù, located north of Milan, shocking its inhabitants and causing damage that, according to local media reports, amounts to €100,000.
The statue, the work of the renowned sculptor Enrico Butti, stood 1.70 meters tall and was of great importance to the local community. Its destruction has generated great consternation and sadness among the inhabitants, who considered this monument as an inseparable part of their historical and cultural heritage.
The German tour group had rented the prestigious Villa Alceo, a period establishment located in Upper Varesotto, near the Swiss border, known for hosting major celebrities from the world of entertainment, politics and music.
Influencer Janis Danner was recording a video of her friends surrounding and hugging the statue when one of them lost balance and, to avoid falling, he grabbed onto the sculpture, breaking the work into several pieces. The sequence was recorded in a video recorded by the security cameras and has generated widespread outrage on social media and in the local community.
«The scene reminded me of the historical episodes of looting of ancient cities»
One of the administrators of Villa Alceo expressed his deep dismay at this event. “Witnessing this scene reminded me of the historical episodes of looting of ancient cities, when the barbarians razed everything and knocked down the statues of the deities on the ground as a sign of contempt,” said Bruno Golferini, the villa’s administrator, to which He added: “We are very shocked. We have spent years hosting international figures from the world of music and culture, diplomatic delegations and even ministers. Obviously, not everyone is respectful of art.
Given the seriousness of the incident, Golferini filed a complaint against the 17 tourists, which shortly after the accident left Italy. “By the time we realized it, it was too late,” Golferini confessed to the Italian news outlet ‘TGCOM 24’. “The children did not respect the prohibition to enter the fountain and were filmed by video surveillance cameras. While two of them hugged the statue, they dropped it and destroyed it, while four of their companions were recording videos with their mobile phones.”
