Last Thursday evening, two graffiti artists were caught in the act by local police. Calls from the public alerted the police to the presence of the two in the Sa Riera torrent. They were adorning one of the walls. The police intercepted two 21-year-olds, both Palma residents, and seized spray cans, marker pens, a cutter and a sketch that was being reproduced on the wall.
Local ordinance prohibits the defacing of public property, the fronts of buildings and so on, and a few months ago a Palma court sentenced a graffiti artist to a year in jail and a 3,000 euros fine. This 18-year-old, a self-styled street artist, had caused considerable damage to property classified as being in the cultural interest. Among the sites affected were the Torre d'en Pau and the wall of Es Baluard. He was identified by comparing his signatures and work with what was contained in a book when he was stopped by a police unit near to Torre d'en Pau.
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At the risk of sounding puerile, shouldn't the headline read 'caught red, blue, green and yellow-handed?And why does the local ordinance only outlaw defacing the front of buildings?
Clearly this anti-social behaviour has to be stopped and while for some a one year prison term and a 3,000 euro fine might be a deterrent, to many it is just a slap on the wrist. It is time to get tough and to hand down harsh sentences that will send a clear and strong message to these delinquents. It should not only involve jail time and a fine but the requirement to remove every last 'tag' they have spray painted throughout the city.