- The devastating attack has left residents fearful for their own safety in the city.
- The victim was reportedly kicked, punched and hit with bars by a large group.
An Australian tourist has been hospitalised after being lynched by a group of around 20 locals for running naked through a historic Italian town on the day of his stag do.
The unidentified groom-to-be was “visibly drunk” when he stripped naked and began walking in the rain on Friday evening in the ancient town of Nardò, Puglia.
A video shows the tourist making a fool of himself with his friends near the city’s police station while celebrating his bachelor party on September 13.
But the mood quickly soured when a “large group of lads” stopped him in Piazza della Repubblica, kicked him and beat him with bars before driving off.
The man was taken to hospital with injuries and later released, but the attack has sparked protests and concern among residents of the quiet town, who criticise police for failing to ensure safety in the city at night.
The man was walking through the historic city on Friday night before being ambushed.
A group of about 20 men allegedly beat the victim with bars before leaving.
It is unclear what prompted the man to strip naked during his bachelor party on Friday.
Local media reported he had been drinking with friends before jokingly stripping off his clothes and underwear and walking through the historic centre.
Stunned passersby pulled out their phones to film the man as he paraded through the streets.
Conflicting reports place it in Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Repubblica, streets seconds apart in the historic centre.
Both are located 100 meters from the city police station.
As residents filmed, the man was confronted by a “large group” of about 20 men, who allegedly kicked and punched him.
The man was even beaten with sticks before the men left, according to Corriere della Sera.
The unnamed tourist was eventually rescued and taken to hospital as police launched an investigation to find the men responsible for the attack.
He was treated and released without serious injuries, Giornale di Puglia reported.
Images circulating online have divided residents.
Although the act of stripping naked and walking through the city was quickly judged obscene, many protested the attack and perceived police inaction.
Local councillor Alberto Gatto took the opportunity to lash out at authorities over security concerns.
“Twenty days ago, at the City Hall, I spoke of a city that was completely out of control,” he told La Repubblica.
“The mayor clearly likes these sketches more, while the police station is no longer in a position to guarantee security and urban decorum in this city.”
A video shows the tourist making a fool of himself with friends near the city’s police station while celebrating his bachelor party.
Residents shared their fears that police would be unable to quell the violence on Friday night.
The man was reportedly attacked two minutes’ walk from the city’s police station.
In July, a tourist sparked outrage in Florence, Italy, after swimming topless in a fountain next to the ancient Piazza Santo Spirito.
The square is home to a 550-year-old church considered one of the best-preserved examples of Renaissance architecture.
The woman was filmed swimming in the fountain wearing only black pants.
She even asked other people sitting on the edge of the pond, “Are you going to come in?” but no one seemed to join her in the murky water.
Locals criticised tourists bathing in the fountain “Mother Nature style” with one saying: “Shame should be back in fashion.”
“Why do tourists come to our house to do whatever they want, but when we go to their countries we have to do what they say?” one person commented.
(tags to translate)dailymail
