The facts occurred in Venice on the evening of June 22nd. A team of the Venice Police Headquarters’ Flying Squad intervened at the venue after a heated argument had been reported between the owner and a customer over unpaid drinks. Upon arrival, the officers found the two and, in particular, the woman in a very agitated state. And it was the woman who immediately showed herself intolerant of the control by the police officers who intervened with a hostile and uncooperative attitude, refusing to provide her identity document for identification. Not satisfied, she also railed with insults and offenses and hit the officers with several slaps in the presence of numerous passers-by, customers and employees of the same venue.
A few days later, the measures of the Police Chief of Venice arrived, who has already shown that he does not allow similar episodes in public establishments: the suspension of the license for a period of five days was ordered. Furthermore, the owner, a 43-year-old Chinese citizen, was reported at liberty for the crimes of Resistance and Violence to a Public Official, Contempt to a Public Official and Refusal to provide information on one’s personal identity.
Police officers yesterday lowered the shutters at the tavern, located in Calle de l’Anconeta, in Cannaregio. The owner, a 43-year-old of Chinese origin, appeared to be a real fury on the occasion: the man’s refusal to pay for a drink had literally made her lose her mind. But what’s worse is that the anger increased when she saw the uniforms arrive on the scene: the woman not only did not calm down but also resisted every check by the police, going so far as to insult and slap the officers.
The measure adopted by the Police Chief of Venice is provided for in Article 100 of the consolidated text of public safety laws: temporary closure for reasons of public order and social danger, and in the background there is also the complaint at large against the 43-year-old.
But the Osteria di Cannaregio, in rio terà della Maddalena, had just faced other problems. The restaurant, in fact, had been closed for three days, by order of the Municipal Police, for “extended terrace”, that is, for those extra tables outside the permitted terrace. Several times, in recent months, the restaurant had been caught by local police officers with chairs and tables where they were not allowed to be. Illegal enlargements, for which the sanctions by regulation had been triggered which, if repeated, can lead to progressive closures.
And it was on those tables on June 22, a Saturday, that the violent fight broke out. On the spot, the officers found a customer arguing heatedly with the owner over the bill he had to pay, which according to the customer was excessive. The woman, as reported above, did not appreciate the arrival of the police to the point that this made her furious to the point of insulting and even slapping the officers.
Police Chief Gaetano Bonaccorso ordered the closure of the premises for five days. Furthermore, upon reopening, the bar owner will have to be careful and toe the line. The measure, in fact, constitutes a “precedent” and any repeated episodes put the license at risk.
