He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy! Groom who dressed up as Jesus for his stag do and carried a crucifix around Italian town is arrested for blasphemy

A groom who celebrated his stag do by dressing as Jesus Christ and carrying a cross has been fined 200 euros by Italian police after breaching blasphemy laws.

The bearded unidentified man in his 20s, dressed in a white gown, and carrying a large cross was with a group of pals as they wandered from bar to bar in a packed town centre.

Officials moved in after receiving complaints, although there had been no reports of any violent and raucous behaviour.

They identified the man and handed him the on-the-spot sanction.

The incident happened in the main square at Jesolo, a popular seaside town close to Venice and popular with British tourists.

One local bar owner said: ‘There was a group of a dozen or so young men and one was dressed as Jesus Christ, with a long white tunic and he had a beard as well.

 ‘He was dragging a large wooden cross through the centre of the square and most people were taking pictures and just laughing and pointing.

‘They weren’t causing any trouble and it wasn’t out of hand or anything but then the next minute a car with local police arrived, flashing blue lights and stopped them.

‘They were made to hand over their ID cards and then the main guy dressed as Jesus Christ was given a fine of 200 euros.

‘The word is that it didn’t go down too well with some of the more conservative locals and the police were called but they weren’t causing any bother, they were just having fun.’

Within minutes of posting the story on its Facebook page, the local newspaper Il Gazzettino had received hundreds of comments with split views.

One wrote: ‘Ah, yes, the famous local police of Jesolo, happy to punish Christ but not chase after the town’s drug dealers.’

While another said: ‘Great work. Instead of resolving local problems of disorder and drug dealing they fine these guys and the real problems continue.’

A third wrote: ‘For me the real blasphemy is the drug dealing that is going on unpunished just a few minutes walk away.’

Others praised the police and attacked the group with one saying: ‘Good work. I hope the bride has told him where to go, why bring Christ and the cross into his stag party?’.

Another said: ‘Well done. I’d like to see what would have happened if he went round an Arabic or any Islamic country dressed as Mohammed.’

A spokesperson for Jesolo council, who supervise the police said: ‘In recent years we have tried to crack down on anti-social behaviour in the city with fines for breaches.

‘The officers concerned had received complaints and were satisfied that the man was breaching blasphemy laws and he was fined 200 euros.

‘The cross was seized as part of the stop and it was considered that the man and the group had breached the local laws of public decorum, covering good taste and irreverent behaviour towards religious cults.’

The groom involved has not been identified but he is said to be from the nearby town of Zenson di Piave.

Jesolo is a popular town for stag and hen parties but in recent years the local council has cracked down on anti-social behaviour after drinking got out of hand.

There has also been a clampdown on walking through the town in swimming trunks and bikinis or bare chested.

Nearby Venice has also introduced similar bylaws and has even gone further by banning picnics in public places.

In an attempt to control tourists in the UNESCO protected Italian city famous for its waterways, officials have blocked the use of loudspeakers by those organising tour groups,  while numbers on an individual tour have been capped at 25.

The Jesolo incident comes just days after a town in Spain’s Costa Brava banned penis suits and sex dolls, and said it will start fining stag and hen dos up to 1,500 euros if caught, as Platka d’Aro attempts to clamp down on rowdy, antisocial behaviour.