Romania Says Train-top Skaters Pose Deadly Threat

Romania’s audiovisual watchdog, CNA, has banned broadcasts of a commercial showing two people skating on top of a moving train, arguing that the commercial might inspire children to imitate them with fatal results.

Nine of the ten members of the CNA voted for the ban. Their decision took a consideration a complaint from the Domestic Affairs Ministry’s Emergency Situations Unit, which reported an increasing number of children being electrocuted after trying to imitate the two actors in the commercial.

“Some children died and others have been traumatized for life following their presence on the top of trains. Our hypothesis is that the commercial could have triggered these accidents,” the ministry said in a statement.

The commercial was advertising for the telecommunication company Romtelecom’s internet speed. It shows two people, an actor and a singer, playing the role of extreme skateboarders on top of a high-speed train, re-enacting a familiar scenario in action movies.

Romtelecom said the connection between the commercial and the death of children was unclear, but it had decided to withdraw the clip from all public spaces it controls. The commercial is still available on internet.

In a recent report, the CNA complained that TV channels in Romania, including cartoon channels, broadcast too many violent acts, swearing and bad language.

In 2008, the Suicidal Squirrels cartoon - a black comedy that shows squirrels killing themselves in different ways - was banned in Romania following protests from the public and the television regulatory body.