Taking a selfie is usually a pretty harmless thing; unless you’re trying to take one with a 126-year-old statue and knock it over in the process, completely destroying it. That’s exactly what happened in Portugal this week.
Not too long ago you could find a statue of Dom Sebastian, a revered kind of Portugal in the 16th century, at Rossio Station in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Unfortunately, a 24-year-old tourist climbed up to the statue to take a selfie with it and knocked it over in the process, completely shattering it.
Before:
Selfie uğruna 126 yıllık heykeli devirdi!https://t.co/6tVcFTTdMt pic.twitter.com/VOLVm0fk8X
— BirGün Gazetesi (@BirGun_Gazetesi) May 9, 2016
After:
Estátua de 125 anos é destruída por homem em busca de selfie em Lisboa https://t.co/692qxXcscm pic.twitter.com/BjILfBm6kt
— G1 (@g1) May 4, 2016
The young traveler tried to run away afterwards but he was caught by police and is now standing trial in Portugal for destruction of public property.
Oops, indeed!
Jovem actualiza estátua de D. Sebastião na estação do Rossio para versão pós Alcácer Quibir.
Foto: Público pic.twitter.com/N0nN7DnGyk— Moiteiro (@pmoiteiro) May 5, 2016
Think this is the first time something like this has happened? Far from it! Last year a 300-year-old statue was smashed in Italy thanks to a group of selfie-taking tourists and if you would believe it, more people are killed while taking selfies (walking off the edge of a cliff, getting too close to a bison/moving train…) than shark attacks!
So a warning to travelers:
Watch your step around cliff edges, don’t get too close to wild animals with your back turned, and don’t do anything that could destroy a priceless piece of art.