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A groom who celebrated his bachelor party dressing as Jesus Christ and carrying a cross has been fined 200 euros by Italian police after violating blasphemy laws.
The unidentified bearded man, aged in his 20s, wearing a white coat and carrying a large cross, was with a group of friends as they wandered from bar to bar in a crowded city centre.
Officers moved in after receiving complaints, although there were no reports of any loud, violent behavior.
They identified the man and imposed the sanction on the spot.
The incident occurred in the main square of Jesolo, a popular seaside town near Venice and popular with British tourists.
A local bar owner said: “There was a group of about a dozen young men and one was dressed like Jesus Christ, in a long white robe and he also had a beard.”
Pictured: A groom who celebrated his bachelor party dressing as Jesus Christ and carrying a cross was fined 200 euros by Italian police after violating blasphemy laws.
‘I was dragging a big wooden cross through the center of the square and most people were taking pictures and just laughing and pointing.
“They weren’t causing any trouble and it wasn’t out of control or anything, but the next minute a local police car arrived with blue lights and stopped them.
‘They were forced to hand over their identity documents and then the protagonist dressed as Jesus Christ was fined 200 euros.
“It is said that some of the more conservative locals didn’t go down too well and called the police, but they weren’t causing any disturbance, they were just having fun.”
Within minutes of posting the story on its Facebook page, local newspaper Il Gazzettino received hundreds of comments with divided opinions.
One wrote: “Ah yes, the famous local Jesolo police, happy to punish Christ but not to go after the city’s drug dealers.”
While another said: ‘Great job. Instead of solving the local problems of disorder and drug dealing, they fine these guys and the real problems continue.”
A third wrote: “For me, the real blasphemy is the drug dealing that continues unpunished just a few minutes walk away.”
Others praised the police and attacked the group; one of them said: ‘Good job. I hope the bride told him where to go, why bring Christ and the cross to his bachelor party?’
Another said: ‘Well done. I would like to see what would have happened if I had toured an Arab or Islamic country dressed as Muhammad.
A spokesman for Jesolo town council, which oversees the police, said: “In recent years we have tried to crack down on anti-social behavior in the city with fines for offences.
‘The officers involved had received complaints and were convinced that the man was violating blasphemy laws and was fined 200 euros.
“The cross was confiscated as part of the stop and the man and group were deemed to have violated local public decorum laws, which cover good taste and irreverent behavior toward religious worship.”
The boyfriend involved has not been identified but is said to be from the nearby town of Zenson di Piave.
Jesolo is a popular town for stag parties, but in recent years the city council has cracked down on anti-social behavior after drinking got out of control.
Drastic measures have also been imposed against walking around the city in a swimsuit and bikini or with a bare torso.
Nearby Venice has also introduced similar ordinances and has even gone further by banning picnics in public places.
In a bid to control tourists in the UNESCO-protected Italian city famous for its waterways, officials have blocked the use of loudspeakers by those organizing tour groups, while the number of tourists on an individual tour has been reduced. has limited to 25.
The Jesolo incident comes just days after a town on Spain’s Costa Brava banned penis suits and sex dolls, and said it will begin fining bachelors and bachelorettes up to 1,500 euros if they are caught, while Platka d’Aro tries to take drastic measures against troublemakers and antisocials. behavior.