Police in Venice have been accused of heavy-handed behaviour after fining a four-year-old-boy nearly 70 euros for riding his scooter in St Mark’s Square.
The little boy was riding his scooter when he was stopped by police, who issued his father with a fine for 67 euros (£60).
Toy scooters and roller skates are banned from being used in the area under by-laws.
The father was accused of allowing his son to use a “velocity accelerator” in the Piazzetta dei Leoncini – an open space adjoining the main part of St Mark’s Square, known for its two red marble lion statues.
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The sanction sparked outrage on social media, with Venetians accusing the police of lacking all sense of proportion.
Venice fights a constant battle against loutish and inconsiderate behaviour by tourists, from jumping into canals to eating snacks in public places, but locals said the crackdown on a child was taking zero tolerance too far.
“How sad. Miserable coppers,” said one woman on Facebook, using a Venetian dialect nickname, “ghebi”, for the police.
Another local wrote that police should have just given the father a verbal warning.
“The fine seems to me to be absurd, over-the-top,” said Monica Sambo, a city councilor from the centre-Left opposition Democratic Party.
“St Mark’s Square cannot be allowed to become a playground, but what harm was this child doing?”
The boy’s father said he would seek legal advice and lodge an appeal against the fine.