Ibo Omari was sick of seeing swastika graffiti pop up near his home in Berlin, Germany. His anger was palpable in an interview with Reuter's.
Personally, I feel offended. It offends the whole neighborhood if someone in our midst paints swastikas in a children’s playground and I take it personally.
He turned his rage into action and mobilized a group of young would-be spray painters. They were sick of sitting around while those Bob Ross Nazi punks painting "happy little swastikas" on walls in their town. The team now works to turn the lowly swastika into cheeky street art. Nazis are a notoriously sensitive bunch.
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Seeing their symbols of hate transformed into these funky drawings must drive the vandals crazy.
Problem solved.
No bunny wants to see that...
Fighting symbols of hate with, erm... Egyptian stereotypes?
Local authorities have clearly chosen sides. Omari told The Verge as much.
Omari says that the Paintback collective has always obtained permission from building owners before painting over the swastikas, and local authorities have allowed them to skip the bureaucratic processes normally required to paint on public walls.
Omari says that the Paintback collective has always obtained permission from building owners before painting over the swastikas, and local authorities have allowed them to skip the bureaucratic processes normally required to paint on public walls.
But that's not to say it's easy for the artists. Some have faced threats.
Far-right groups have been less conciliatory. Omari says some neo-Nazis have tried to intimidate collective members as they paint, while others have left hateful comments on the Facebook page for his graffiti store. "You can’t do a campaign like this without offending someone in Germany," he says.
While most people wouldn't risk their health to paint a weird-looking owl, it's good to know there are some out there who are doing just that. These artists can sleep well knowing that somewhere out there— a Nazi is raging at them.
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