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A groom who celebrated his bachelor party by dressing up as Jesus Christ and carrying a cross has been fined 200 euros by Italian police after breaking blasphemy laws.
The bearded, unidentified man in his 20s, wearing a white dress and holding a large cross, was with a group of friends as they wandered from bar to bar in a crowded city center.
Officials moved in after receiving complaints, although there were no reports of violent or rough behavior.
They identified the man and imposed a sanction on him on the spot.
The incident happened in the main square of Jesolo, a popular seaside resort close to Venice and popular with British tourists.
A local bar owner said: ‘There was a group of about ten young men and one was dressed like Jesus Christ, with a long white tunic and he also had a beard.
Pictured: A groom who celebrated his bachelor party by dressing up as Jesus Christ and carrying a cross has been fined 200 euros by Italian police after breaking blasphemy laws
“He dragged a big wooden cross through the middle of the square and most of the people were taking pictures and laughing and pointing.
‘They didn’t cause any trouble and it didn’t get out of hand or anything, but the next minute a car with local police arrived, flashing blue lights and stopped them.
‘They had to hand in their identity cards and then the main man dressed as Jesus Christ was fined 200 euros.
‘It’s said that things didn’t go down so well with some of the more conservative locals. The police were called, but they didn’t cause any trouble, they were just having fun.’
Within minutes of posting the story on its Facebook page, local newspaper Il Gazzettino had received hundreds of comments with divided opinions.
One wrote: ‘Ah, yes, the famous local police of Jesolo, eager to punish Christ but not going after the city’s drug dealers.’
While another said: ‘Great work. Instead of solving the local problems of disorder and drug trafficking, they fine these guys and the real problems continue.”
A third wrote: ‘For me the real blasphemy is the drug dealing that goes on with impunity just a few minutes walk away.’
Others praised the police and attacked the group with one statement: “Good job. I hope the bride told him where to go. Why would you bring Christ and the cross to his bachelor party?’
Another said: ‘Well done. “I would like to see what would have happened if he went through an Arab or any Islamic country dressed as Mohammed.”
A spokesperson for Jesolo Municipality, which oversees the police, said: ‘In recent years we have tried to tackle anti-social behavior in the city with fines for offences.
‘The officers involved had received complaints and were convinced the man was in breach of blasphemy laws and was fined €200.
‘The cross was seized as part of the arrest and it was believed that the man and the group had violated local laws of public decency, which relate to good taste and disrespectful behavior towards religious sects.’
The groom involved has not been identified, but he is said to be from the nearby town of Zenson di Piave.
Jesolo is a popular town for stag and hen parties, but in recent years the council has cracked down on anti-social behavior after binge drinking spiraled out of control.
There is also a ban on walking through the city in swimming trunks and bikinis or with a bare torso.
Nearby Venice has also introduced similar statutes and has gone even further by banning picnics in public places.
In a bid to control tourists in the UNESCO-listed Italian city famous for its waterways, officials have blocked the use of loudspeakers by those organizing tour groups, while limiting the number of individual tours to 25.
The Jesolo incident comes just days after a town on Spain’s Costa Brava banned penis suits and sex dolls, saying it will impose fines of up to 1,500 euros on stag parties if caught, as Platka d’Aro tries to control rowdy, antisocial people to get. behaviour.