The Italian embassy in Bangkok issued a formal apology on Saturday after a video showing a group of Italian students insulting and gesturing obscenely at a Thai woman on the city’s elevated metro went viral, triggering widespread outrage in Thailand. The footage, shared tens of thousands of times on TikTok and other platforms, showed the minors, who were on a school trip, responding to a request to lower their voices with the phrase “Sorry for bringing money to your country” and a raised middle finger. The embassy’s Facebook page was inundated with comments demanding action, and the mission condemned the “inappropriate behaviour” as not reflecting Italian values of respect and courtesy.

According to the embassy’s statement, the tourists were underage and participating in an educational trip. Italian media reported that the journey was organised by Travelling Fox, a company that arranges travel for children of public employees with the support of the national social security institute, INPS. The Thai passenger, who had initially asked the group to be quiet, was herself recorded using vulgar language as the dispute escalated, a detail that divided online opinion, with some users criticising the teenagers for impropriety and others arguing the woman’s reaction was excessive.

In the days following the incident, the embassy shared a second video in which three adult chaperones and the boy who made the gesture apologised directly to the Thai people. One of the accompanying adults announced that the teenager would be “returning to Italy as soon as possible.” The episode has refocused attention on the behaviour of foreign visitors in Thailand, where authorities in May shortened visa-free stays as part of a broader effort to curb crimes committed by foreign nationals. Official tourism figures show that arrivals from Italy fell by roughly 9.6 per cent in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2025.

The embassy’s apology, published in Italian, Thai and English, stressed that the incident “does not represent in any way the Italian people” and reaffirmed the importance of mutual respect in bilateral relations. No formal investigation by Thai authorities has been announced, and the diplomatic response remains confined to the public expressions of regret and the promised repatriation of the student at the centre of the confrontation.