Italy’s culture minister has criticized as “incomprehensible” the decision to cover up naked statues at a Rome museum where Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was visiting, adding a new twist to the controversy that has dominated Rouhani’s deal-making visit to Italy.
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini told reporters Wednesday that neither he nor Premier Matteo Renzi were informed about the decision, which was apparently taken by lower-ranking officials in a bid to avoid offending the visiting leader. The cover-up involved the placement of several wooden panels to shield nude statues at Rome’s Capitoline Museums, where Rouhani and Renzi held a joint press conference Monday.
The measures made headlines across Italy and prompted some politicians to accuse the government of caving into “cultural submission.”
“I think there easily would have been other ways to not offend an important foreign guest without this incomprehensible choice of covering up the statues,” Franceschini said. He spoke to reporters at the Colosseum, where he gave Rouhani a guided tour before the Iranian delegation left for France.
Rouhani, for his part, said the Iranians hadn’t requested any such measures by saying “there were no contacts about this.” But he seemed to appreciate the gesture.
“I know that Italians are a very hospitable people, a people who try to do the most to put their guests at ease and I thank you for this,” he told reporters when asked about the cover-up.
Rouhani’s visit was aimed at pushing Iran into a more prominent role on the world stage after the nuclear deal with Western powers ended most European economic sanctions on Tehran.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
idiots of the first degree, what do they think was accomplished by this???
You watch, when the Muslims are a majority (and they will be at the rate they are invading) those monuments & statues will be destroyed…better take some photos and plenty of them, because your grandchildren will never know they existed. Just like General McArther when he entered the concentration camps in Germany, he was quoted as saying “Take plenty of pictures, as the day will come where people will claim this never happened”. Didn’t the president of Iran claim the holocaust was all a fake and made up.
Tom, I think we all better step-up and stop these jerks right now! I will tell Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his buddy BHO to go to Hell. Who are the cowardly fools that cave to these assholes? Kill the bastards and be done with it. If any of these jerks come here and try this they will never say another word. That goes for treasonous Barry too. Kill them all and let Satan sort them out.
What happened to “The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave”? Are we all supposed to fall down and kiss the fool’s feet? Not me, I will put a knife in his eye! To Hell with this bullshit. I have had all I can stand and will NOT put up with anymore of it.
DEATH TO ALL muslims!
Italy ashamed of her ART!!!!!
They should have beheaded the statues, with Satan mohammad swinging the ax.
They should have beheaded Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian FOOL.
DEATH to ALL muslims!!!
Maybe Italian officials should have held the press conference in a different location. Surely there was some place in Rome that didn’t have a bunch of nude statues.
I’m going to guess the statues probably didn’t show anything that the Iranian president had not seen before.
I suppose the Colosseum in Rome is offensive to the Muslims, because it’s round
I say that if you don’t like nude statures don’t look at them. Why the hell should we bend over backwards for someone that wants too kill all Christians. Go back too your lousy country and stay there with all the other sand fleas,
Send the ass home…in a BOX!
They are visitors of another country, they should respect the art for what it is. No country should change their culture for these “visitors!” If they don’t like the culture of the country they are in then LEAVE instead of being butthurt. Grow up you muslims, the world does not revolve around you!!!!!
Agree agree don’t like our ways stay away, that goes for atheist as well
DEATH to ALL muslims. They are what is wrong with the World and sucking their dick will not solve anything. All they understand is a knife in their back. Let’s make them truely understand, wipe them all from the Earth.
These historical treasures will offend a killer who executes people routinely, hangings heads cut off! What is wrong here, everything has been turned upside down. I guess the money sign hangs very high and the political correctness is taken to extremes and we’ll give up everything for a buck. Iran just got a big bonus from Obama so everyone is salivating. Double shame
Shame Italy !!
Guess what, it’s not going to stop…because according to Muslim belief they are ordered to kill infidels
(non Muslims) and the Muslim religion demands that they take over the world, many leaders say “let them come into our country, we need the workers (who cares that they have no skills, who cares that they don’t want to work) We will support them” by the people who are native & live and work…what a way to take over the whole of Europe than to invite them in freely. Better get the Red Cross out of the country or they will be stabbed to death, because they are wearing a red cross (that’s offensive) and people threw-out the country and countries will have daily stabbings, just like in Israel.
Kill BHO too. He IS the biggest problem we face.
fuck it iran dont like fuck off
It is bad, but not as bad as the “christians” breaking the head and arms off of the ancient statues when they arrived in Rome.
Grover, Go back to Iran where you belong, fool.