Cage punishment!

Have you ever looked at a local politician who completely messed up and thought, "I really wish we could just lock them in a cage and dunk them in a freezing river..." Me either. But apparently Italians had that thought. Every single June, the city of Trento Italy throws a massive, week-long summer festival. And the absolute highlight of the entire week is a hilariously brutal tradition called La Tonca. Back in the 14th century, "La Tonca" was a very real, very terrifying medieval punishment. If you were caught committing blasphemy, the city would lock you inside a metal cage and dunk you into the freezing waters of the Adige River. Today, they’ve brought the tradition back. A few days before the dunking, the city holds a massive mock trial in the public square. A fake judge, prosecutor, and defense attorney stand up and nominate the local politicians and public figures who committed the absolute worst, most embarrassing blunders of the year. Nobody is safe. They have nominated governors for delaying hospital construction, public officials for messing up paperwork, and politicians who simply complained too much about a local pop concert. The judge listens to the crowd, hands down a guilty verdict to the worst offender, and then... it's time for the cage. On the final Sunday of the festival, the "winner" is ceremoniously locked inside a medieval cage, hoisted by a massive crane over the bridge, and dunked directly into the river as the entire town wildly cheers.