this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2025
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Venice Pickpockets Sue Citizen Watchdogs (www.wantedinmilan.com)
submitted 1 week ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world
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[–] Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone 67 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The article is a little vague on what it is they’re doing to the pickpockets that isn’t legal. Filming them? Do the laws in Milan not allow filming people who are in public? Are they assaulting them in some way when they see them pickpocketing or about to? Are they posting videos of it and that’s the legally gray part? It just keeps reiterating that the national laws aren’t clear about it so it’s a little confusing what exactly is going on.

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[–] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

(Venice isn't Milan! But they are both in Italy, in neighbouring regions.)

It seems like some far right group is trying to get views. And I wouldn't be surprised if they just target coloured & queer folk.

Basically they walk around & secretly film random people they think they might pickpocket someone at some time & shout loudly whilst pointing at them. And then post videos online (TikTok). Even if no pickpocketing occurred or was tried.

And ofc everyone should be allowed to seek legal consequences for that.

Imagine Batman doing that (actually, with no superpowers that might be the best strat against enemies ~~with superpowers~~).

As why this garbage article was written this way (or posted here) idk. It's more 'The Onion' than 'Not The Onion'.

[–] Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Venice isn't Milan

Oops, that’s on me for glancing at the site name instead of double checking the article, lol.

Thanks for the additional context about the harassment and targeting minorities aspect of it, that wasn’t something I realized was going on here. In that case it makes total sense for the ‘pickpockets’ to sue them.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 1 points 1 week ago

I don't know if they do target minorities, it just seems like a very probable context to the legal proceedings (I don't know much about the subject in general, I rarely follow any news).

[–] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 55 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Just ignore the whole article. This is all you need to read.

some of the alleged pickpockets have turned the tables

Its literally NOT pickpockets. Garbage clickbait. Its just random people, that have been dragged through the mud with no legal process, that are defending themselves.

[–] _cryptagion@anarchist.nexus 26 points 1 week ago

yeah, the article tries to dress it up, but it sounds like these do-gooders are actually tiktokers who are harassing people for views, claiming they are pickpockets.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 18 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This is a good reminder that ridiculousness doesn’t just happen here in America; it’s a worldwide phenomenon.

[–] _cryptagion@anarchist.nexus 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

the article tries to hide the fact these are tiktokers who are harassing people for views while claiming they are pickpockets.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 2 points 1 week ago

Ah. That’s a very important detail. Thanks for mentioning it!

[–] PhilipTheBucket@piefed.social 13 points 1 week ago (2 children)

One of the very few times recently I have felt proud of my country was reading stories about pickpockets at the Paris Olympics, encountering the new phenomenon of Americans who when they get pickpocketed would respond by physically assaulting the pickpockets and taking back their stuff.

"Le merde! This is forbidden! Unfair!" lol

[–] The_Picard_Maneuver@piefed.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

Interesting. In contrast, wouldn’t work at a major US music festival -

by the time you’ve to grabbed the intruding hand, your phone/wallet has already been handed to an accomplice (and perhaps then to another one).

[–] _cryptagion@anarchist.nexus 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

except that was just a nonsense rumor. the only examples of anything of the sort actually happening is one tiktok video of a lady grabbing and holding onto a pickpocket, and the one blog post linked below by @the_picard_maneuver@piefed.world claiming americans would do it. I never did find a single parisian or american news article with any names or incidents of it happening.

there was a bunch of tiktok videos making fun of the americans for the weird patriotic fantasies of beating up pickpockets, though.

[–] SL3wvmnas@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 week ago

That was a short, interesting read. Thx. Did not know it was more of a meme.