Italian Wannabe Centurions Rebuffed by Cops
Italian men dressed as Roman centurions scuffled with police today outside Rome's Colosseum during a protest over the right to pose for photos with tourists for money.
A British newspaper's Rome correspondent says one man was carried off on a stretcher as about 60 centurions, some waving fake swords, and their supporters blocked tourists from entering the ancient Colosseum.
The Guardian says a crackdown on the centurions followed claims that they were selling fake tours to tourists and pressuring them to hand over a lot of money for a photograph. The newspaper says 30 were arrested last August.
A spokesman for the centurions says a group has met with local authorities and they would like to arrange to get licenses and IDs.
