Italy is forced to apologise after teenagers on a school trip insulted a Thai woman 'who asked them to be quiet'

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:00, 27 July 2026 | Updated: 01:19, 27 July 2026 Italy has released a public apology after a group of teenagers from the nation visiting Bangkok insulted a Thai woman on a train who had asked them to be quiet.  Footage shared to social media showed the woman on the BTS SkyTrain accusing a group of young people of being too loud, telling them: 'In Thailand, we don't scream.'  After she asked them where in the world they were from, they mockingly answered 'Thailand', before calling her a 'b****.' One was seen raising a middle finger at her, while the others laughed and continued to make noise.  The video further showed a teacher sarcastically telling her: 'Sorry for bringing money to your country', before telling her to 'shut the f*** up' and that the group were 'just children.' The backlash to the video, which was seen 16million times, was immediate and furious.  One social media user said: 'Bringing money, no one complains, but please bring some manners too.' Another wrote: 'Bringing money to Thailand doesn’t make you a god.' The backlash to the video, which was seen 16million times, was immediate and furious Following the international drama, the Italian embassy in Bangkok released a cringeworthy video of three adults and a teenager all grovelling Others went further, identifying the teenagers and targeting their schools' social media pages.  And some went as far as to wait outside the hotel they were staying in, demanding an apology.  Following the international drama, the Italian embassy in Bangkok released a cringeworthy video of three adults and a teenager all grovelling.  After bowing, a male adult was heard saying: 'We are the leaders of the Italian group that went viral. We are making this video to apologise to the Thai people and Thai culture.  'We wanted to shoot this video yesterday, but we were worried and scared so we postponed. That was probably the wrong decision. 'We wanted to ask for forgiveness for our behaviour to the Thai people and the country.' A woman said: 'I'm personally extremely sorry for what has happened. I know that money can't buy respect and I'm really sorry for all the people offended and for having offended Thai culture and Thai people.'  A young man who appeared to be a teenager said: 'I'm very sorry for everyone in Thailand because of what I did on the BTS train. It was wrong. I'm very sorry for my behaviour.' And a second adult woman said: 'We do not accept this behaviour. The students are returning to Italy as soon as possible, and we will also try to teach our group again to strictly respect that culture. 'Thank you for welcoming us and we humbly ask for your forgiveness.'