Disabled Swede holds up Italian train in protest
A disabled Swedish man on holiday in Italy has made headlines after he was charged for delaying a train by forty minutes when he protested the lack of facilities for other passengers in wheelchairs.
The train came to a halt seconds after leaving the platform of the station in the small town of Calalzo in northern Italy after the 40-year-old pulled the stop lever in protest over being denied access to the train, the La Stampa newspaper reported.
He arrived at the platform to find there was no ramp available for passengers in wheelchairs, a facility required by law in Italy.
The man reportedly had a “heated discussion” in English with the train’s conductor about being unable to board the train. The conductor is reported to have said there was “no way” for him to get on with his wheelchair and then gave the signal for the train to leave.
Shortly after the doors closed, the Swede made his way to the first carriage and pulled a lever stopping the train. He held on to the lever for 40 minutes before the railway police arrived and charged him for interrupting a public service.
Via The Local Italy
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The train came to a halt seconds after leaving the platform of the station in the small town of Calalzo in northern Italy after the 40-year-old pulled the stop lever in protest over being denied access to the train, the La Stampa newspaper reported.
He arrived at the platform to find there was no ramp available for passengers in wheelchairs, a facility required by law in Italy.
The man reportedly had a “heated discussion” in English with the train’s conductor about being unable to board the train. The conductor is reported to have said there was “no way” for him to get on with his wheelchair and then gave the signal for the train to leave.
Shortly after the doors closed, the Swede made his way to the first carriage and pulled a lever stopping the train. He held on to the lever for 40 minutes before the railway police arrived and charged him for interrupting a public service.
Via The Local Italy
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