Venice’s mayor calls two canal surfers “idiots”

Two individuals were observed surfing in a canal in Venice, Italy, and the mayor was not pleased. In a Facebook post, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro posted a video of the surfers, referred to them as idiots, and offered to buy supper for anybody locates them.

Several further footage of the two surfers navigating the Grand Canal in Venice have been uploaded on social media. A surfer falls off his board and swims towards it in one video.

The surfers were tourists who were penalised for jeopardizing the safety of navigation along the canal, according to local media cited by BBC News. According to Il Gazzettino, they were thrown out of the city and could face criminal charges for allegedly hurting Venice’s reputation.

The surfboards they were using appear to be so-called foil boards, which are hovering electric surfboards. Therefore, the two tourists were able to surf on them in the canal despite the absence of waves.

Swimming and all water sports such as surfing and canoeing are prohibited in the canals of Venice, which are renowned waterways with high boat traffic.

CBS News has requested additional information from the mayor’s office and local police and is expecting a response.