onedef92
05-12-2015, 8:48am
Vandals Attack Selfie-Taking Ottoman Prince Statue
ISTANBUL — May 12, 2015, 9:12 AM ET
A statue erected in a Turkish city of an Ottoman prince taking a selfie with a cellphone has met swift and violent criticism.
Just days after it was erected, vandals — perhaps offended by disparagement of Ottoman history — have hacked off the phone and the prince's sword. The mayor's office in Amasya, an hour south of the Black Sea coast, says police have been ordered to guard the disarmed prince.
The statue, intended to attract tourists, has its defenders. As intended, some people have been mugging for their own selfies with the eccentric prince.
In a statement, the municipality says it has asked prosecutors to investigate the vandalism and to press charges against people who have supported the attack on social media, under laws against "praising a criminal act."
ISTANBUL — May 12, 2015, 9:12 AM ET
A statue erected in a Turkish city of an Ottoman prince taking a selfie with a cellphone has met swift and violent criticism.
Just days after it was erected, vandals — perhaps offended by disparagement of Ottoman history — have hacked off the phone and the prince's sword. The mayor's office in Amasya, an hour south of the Black Sea coast, says police have been ordered to guard the disarmed prince.
The statue, intended to attract tourists, has its defenders. As intended, some people have been mugging for their own selfies with the eccentric prince.
In a statement, the municipality says it has asked prosecutors to investigate the vandalism and to press charges against people who have supported the attack on social media, under laws against "praising a criminal act."