Venice mayor calls out two "idiots" who surfed in city's canals
Two people were spotted surfing in a canal in Venice, Italy – and the mayor was not happy about it. In a Facebook post, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro shared a video of the surfers, calling them idiots and saying he would buy dinner for whoever finds them.
Several other videos of the two surfers, cruising through Venice's Grand Canal, have been shared across social media. In one video, a surfer falls off the board and swims towards it.
Ecco due imbecilli prepotenti che si fanno beffa della Città… chiedo a tutti di aiutarci a individuarli per punirli anche se le nostre armi sono davvero spuntate… servono urgentemente più poteri ai Sindaci in tema di sicurezza pubblica! A chi li individua offro una cena!
Posted by Luigi Brugnaro on Wednesday, August 17, 2022
In a later comment on the video, Brugnaro said the two surfers had been identified and their boards had been seized.
The surfers were tourists and they were fined for endangering the safety of navigation along the canal, BBC News reports, citing local media. They were kicked out of the city, and could face criminal proceedings for allegedly damaging the image of Venice, according to local newspaper Il Gazzettino.
The boards they were using appear to be so-called foil boards, which are electric surfboards that hover above the water. Surfers do not need waves to use them, hence the two tourists were able to surf on them in the waveless canal.
Swimming and all water sports like surfing and canoeing are not permitted in Venice's canals, which are famous waterways with heavy boat traffic.
CBS News has reached out to the mayor's office and the local police for more information and is awaiting response.