Residents to 'delete' Brits' tattoo shame
Group of holidaymakers pay vagabond to have groom-to-be's name tattooed on his forehead
Benidorm residents are crowd-funding to help a vagabond delete a tattoo that a group of stag-night Britons paid him to have on his forehead - after the case hit international headlines
THE STORY of Tomek, the vulnerable homeless Polish national who had his forehead tattooed after being offered €100 cash by a raucous British stag group, has created unprecedented media attention, in particular from the Spanish sector.
News crews, radio stations and national papers have all been in Benidorm this week, chasing the story in which British holidaymakers have been portrayed in a negative light.
The tattoo studio that carried out this controversial inking is not a British run one.
Initially they were obviously proud of their achievement as they posted a picture of Tomek on their Facebook page, but following a barrage of criticism, quickly removed it.
The unanimous reaction from the majority of tattooists is that it broke a code of conduct and moral ethics, which they all adhere to and take very seriously. In a bid to turn the situation around, Karen Maling-Cowles of Benidorm’s British Business Association set up a social media fundraising page to collect enough money to have the inking lasered off and for him to receive much needed medical care.
Speaking exclusively to CBN she said, “As a British community, who care about our visitors, we feel it is important to turn a negative situation into a positive one by reaching out to offer help and assistance”.
The page was only set up on Tuesday, with a target of €3,000, which had already been reached, and in fact surpassed by Thursday evening, with donations coming in from across Europe.
Former Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne even picked up on the story and retweeted it to his over 700,000 followers.
Not only that, but offers to help Tomek have poured in from an alcohol rehab centre to free laser treatment from numerous places across Spain including Hospital Clínica Benidorm, Fusión Tattoo in Alicante and Clínica Nuria in Benidorm and free treatment by a chiropractor for his back.
Who's to blame?
However, who is to blame for the behaviour that caused this furore? Are we projecting an image of excessive consumption? What message are we pro- jecting to our visitors – one of “anything goes” or one of order and culture? Businesses, which refer to hotels, bars, clubs and local authority, must all take re- sponsibility as they are fuelling and inciting this negative and problematic conduct.
Dr Daniel Briggs is a researcher, writer and academic who studies social problems and also a consultant for the Foreign Office. Following detailed research and investigation he wrote a book - “Deviance & Risk on Holiday” based on the antics that take place on Ibiza and Magaluf. But obvious parallels can be made with Benidorm and his recommendations should certainly be considered to avoid the resort spiralling out of control.
Benidorm’s British Business Association has regular meetings with the police and authorities, including the British Consulate.
They are aware that this is not an isolated incidence but are looking to turn the situation around. In recent weeks, Tomek has not been seen around the resort. He would often pop into the Shamrock Bar on Calle Gerona where Victoria McLeish, who works there, would buy him breakfast and locals would try and look out for him.
Karen and the CBNews are now in contact with Tomek and would like to ensure he receives the help he obviously needs by endeavouring to protect him from the media scrum, which will inevitably follow, but hope that they have some empathy and understanding not to hound him!