‘Drunk’ Tourist Breaks Belgian Statue Day After it Reopened Following Three-Year Restoration

A day after reopening to the public following three years of renovations, an Irish tourist reportedly chipped off a piece of a historic lion statue in Brussels.

The unidentified man said to be intoxicated, climbed the lion to pose for a photo on Sunday night, as reported by the Brussels Times.

A video shows the man inadvertently snapping off the torch as he climbed down, eliciting shocked reactions from onlookers.

Police arrested the individual at a nearby fast food joint shortly after. He allegedly informed them he was unaware of the extent of damage he had caused.

The statue's recent restoration came with a hefty price tag of approximately $19,000. Additionally, upgrades to the adjacent Stock Exchange building amounted to nearly $96 million over the last three years, as reported by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

The lion statue needs further repairs, and the building's management expects the tourist to pay for the damage.

"The repairs are going to cost a lot of money because the work will have to be done by real craftsmen," said Nel Vandevennet, who supervised the prior restoration, to Belgian news outlet VRT. He added, "It is listed heritage and there will be follow-up from the monuments and landscapes agency of the Brussels region."

Vandevennet anticipates the restoration might take several weeks, if not months.

"We thought the sculptures would enjoy greater respect," Vandevennet said. "We just think it’s very sad this happened."