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Irish tourist climbs iconic lion statue in Brussels, causes nearly 15 lakh in damages
The tourist damaged the lion statue at the Brussels Stock Exchange just one day after the grand reopening of the newly-renovated building.
The police arrested an Irish tourist after he was caught on camera damaging the newly restored lion statue at the Brussels Stock Exchange. The estimated cost of the damage he caused is a whopping $19,000 (or over ₹15 lakh.) The tourist is expected to pay the damages he caused to the statue, reported Nieuwsblad.
The incident occurred when the tourist, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, decided to take a picture of himself while perched on the back of the statue. This statue consisted of a lion and a man holding a torch. However, as he attempted to climb down, the torch broke off, reported New York Post.
The incident transpired just one day after the grand reopening of the newly-renovated building. Nel Vandevennet, the project manager, said that the building and statues were heritage-listed, reported VRT NWS.
“We would like to carry out the repairs quickly, but it will surely take a few weeks or even months. The whole building has only just been restored to its former glory, including the two lions, which were in a bad way,” VRT NWS quoted Nel Vandevennet.
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The newly renovated stock exchange building had celebrated its grand reopening on a Saturday, only to face this unfortunate incident on the subsequent Sunday night.
This is, however, not the first time that a tourist damaged an iconic site. Earlier, a tourist scratched a wall of the Colosseum in Rome and etched the names of himself and his girlfriend. After the authorities nabbed him, he shared an apology letter and said that only after the incident he realised that the monument was so old. Read more on the incident and the apology letter he shared here.
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