Colosseum vs. Capital Punishment

This was news to me...In the midst of pro/con death penalty agitation surrounding the case of Stanley "Tookie" Williams was the following:

Rome's Colosseum, once the arena for deadly gladiator combat and executions, has become a symbol of Italy's death penalty opposition. Since 1999, the monument has been bathed in golden light every time a death sentence is commuted somewhere in the world or a country abolishes capital punishment.

"I hope there will be such an occasion soon," Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said. "When it happens, we will do it with a special thought for Tookie."

Here's a BBC article from the 1999 campaign, in which then mayor Francesco Rutelli said:

"I think all over the world the Colosseum is known as a place of death and as a place of amusements linked to death...Today we want to make a positive link between the Colosseum and life."

And here's more on the Colosseum...er, Flavian Amphitheatre...

 

Comments

[John Salmon]

No word on a "special thought" for Tookie's four victims.

[Jessica]

I do not think it is right to use a historical monument for and opinionated reason. Nothing can change its past, but the use of it against the death penalty could hurt it in the future.