That's what two German tourists were fined for making themselves coffee for breakfast at the foot of the Rialto Bridge. The fine seems a bit draconian, but how could anyone think it would be OK to do this?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49054042

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Oh man, in Amsterdam people are doing even more ridiculous things. Completely right, the amount they were fined for.

One day it's backpackers making coffee on the walkway. The next day it's backpackers (or homeless?) pitching a tent in the same place.

Speaking from a city dealing with an intractable homeless problem, I'm with the comune's approach to this. Things can get out of control pretty quickly.

They were also banned from the city.

Jean - where do you propose the homeless go? Most are not homeless by choice you know.

It's not "where" do the homeless go. It's dealing with the underlying problems that got them where they are. In Los Angeles, the major causes of homelessness are unaffordable housing and a shortage of mental health resources. Many mentally ill choose to live on the streets, but that doesn't mean we should accept that and allow the numbers of homeless to increase out of pity. In Los Angeles, the homeless population is creating a health risk for everyone. Typhus, tuberculosis, hepatitis A...

Exactly - but how does Venice solve that by fining tourists a ridiculous amount for making a cup of coffee?

I'm quite sure Venice has a homeless problem too, just like any other place in the western world. Fining and expelling tourists doesn't sem to tbe the solution.

Sorry, but if those backpackers weren't made an example of, what's to prevent the next backpackers from pitching a tent at the Rialto Bridge?! I see why Venice had to send a very emphatic message. If the coffee-loving backpackers had picked a less public (and iconic!) spot to fire up a camp stove, they probably wouldn't have been fined and expelled. They were stupid.

I think these new rules and fines are the result of the tourists who were swimming in the canals. A crackdown on this and other misbehaviour was announced in May. Rome has similar rules about eating in the vicinity of monuments.

Venice has a surplus of tourists, expelling a few won't even make a dent. The fine does seem a bit over the top to me, but I don't think a €25 fine would be a deterrent.

Believe it or not, Venice is a city, not an amusement park.

I'd hate to live in Venice today. The last straw was the enormous cruise ships in the lagoon.

I think the days of the cruise ships in the Giudecca canal are numbered. The crash into a small boat in June, and a near incident with a yacht more recently, have convinced even their most ardent defenders that something has to change.

Jean, this is not about the homeless, but about affluent, mostly, White people such as yourself, who think it's their right to destroy cities like Venice or Amsterdam, while stealing from the Carbon budget of today's 10 year olds.

You should visit Amsterdam, now that it's summer. Simply unbelievable what tourists think they can do in the city centre. No fines there, but silly signs and a polite slap on the wrist.

Like this, taken 15 years ago?

Not sure why you are combining a possible homeless problem with a tourist problem. These were a couple of white, (very likely) affluent German backpackers, 32 and 35 years old, not kids, and certainly old enough to know better.

Leely2, I was the one (not hetismij2) who commented that backpackers firing up a camp stove without repercussions could possibly lead to other backpackers (or even homeless) pitching a tent at the same spot because... well, "the coffee lovers were allowed to set up a temporary camp, and you didn't stop them!" This kind of behavior can get out of control very fast.

We have no idea whether these two knuckleheads are affluent and just chose not to drop a few euros at a local café or if they possibly have very little money and perhaps no permanent address.

Sorry, Menachem, you don't know what race I am, but I do agree that tourists have a huge negative impact on the environment. They also have a huge positive impact on the economies of the places they visit. Cities like Venice and Amsterdam have to each decide how they want to handle visitors.

See the doc 'The Venice Syndrome'.
I am done. The end.

Do you think fines are voluntary?

It might not be enforceable if they don't have enough assets, but that's a slightly different aspect.