Editing Graffiti (section)

== Government responses ==
[[File:US military anti-graffiti poster in Kuwait.png|thumb|upright|Poster at a US military base in [[Kuwait]] decrying graffiti, itself having been graffitied]]

=== Asia ===

In China, [[Mao Zedong]] in the 1920s used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanize the country's communist movement.<ref name=bbc>{{cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/asia_pac_graffiti_artists_in_beijing/html/1.stm |title=In pictures: Graffiti artists in Beijing, Graffiti tradition |publisher=BBC News }}</ref>

Based on different national conditions, many people believe that China's attitude towards Graffiti is fierce, but in fact, according to Lance Crayon in his film ''Spray Paint Beijing: Graffiti in the Capital of China'', Graffiti is generally accepted in [[Beijing]], with artists not seeing much police interference. Political and religiously sensitive graffiti, however, is not allowed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-04-21/beijings-thriving-graffiti-culture-may-surprise-you|title=Beijing's thriving graffiti culture may surprise you|website=Public Radio International|date=21 April 2014 |language=en|access-date=24 April 2019}}</ref>

In Hong Kong, [[Tsang Tsou Choi]] was known as the ''King of Kowloon'' for his [[calligraphy]] graffiti over many years, in which he claimed ownership of the area. Now some of his work is preserved officially.

In [[Taiwan]], the government has made some concessions to graffitists. Since 2005 they have been allowed to freely display their work along some sections of riverside retaining walls in designated "Graffiti Zones".<ref name=taitimes>{{cite news|title=FEATURE: Taipei's graffiti artists strive for greater acceptance |newspaper=Taipei Times |date=13 August 2007 |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/08/13/2003373905 | first=Yan-chih | last=Mo | access-date=16 January 2011}}</ref> From 2007, Taipei's department of cultural affairs also began permitting graffiti on fences around major public construction sites. Department head Yong-ping Lee (李永萍) stated, "We will promote graffiti starting with the public sector, and then later in the private sector too. It's our goal to beautify the city with graffiti". The government later helped organize a graffiti contest in [[Ximending]], a popular shopping district. Graffitists caught working outside of these designated areas still face fines up to [[NT$]]6,000 under a department of environmental protection regulation.<ref name=taitimes2>{{cite news|title=Taipei targets graffiti |newspaper=Taipei Times |date=8 June 2009 |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/06/08/2003445640/2 | access-date=16 January 2011}}</ref> However, Taiwanese authorities can be relatively lenient, one veteran police officer stating anonymously, "Unless someone complains about vandalism, we won't get involved. We don't go after it proactively."<ref name=reuters>{{cite news |title=Taiwan graffiti artist colors in legal gray area |work=Reuters |date=25 September 2008 |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/idINTRE48O0YC20080925 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711182718/http://in.reuters.com/article/idINTRE48O0YC20080925 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 11, 2012 |first=Ralph |last=Jennings |access-date=16 January 2011 }}</ref>

In 1993, after several expensive cars in [[Singapore]] were spray-painted, the police arrested a student from the [[Singapore American School]], [[Michael P. Fay]], questioned him, and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty to vandalizing a car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 [[Vandalism Act (Singapore)|Vandalism Act of Singapore]], originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 (US$2,233), and a [[caning]]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called on the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for [[pardon|clemency]], Fay's caning took place in Singapore on 5 May 1994. Fay had originally received a sentence of six strokes of the cane, but the presiding [[president of Singapore]], [[Ong Teng Cheong]], agreed to reduce his caning sentence to four lashes.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|title=Singapore Swings; Michael Fay's Torture's Over; Watch for the Docudrama |newspaper=New York Times |date=8 May 1994 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DA1539F93BA35756C0A962958260 | first=Philip | last=Shenon | access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref>

In [[Republic of Korea|South Korea]], Park Jung-soo was fined two million [[South Korean won]] by the [[Seoul]] Central District Court for spray-painting a rat on posters of the [[G-20]] Summit a few days before the event in November 2011. Park alleged that the initial in "G-20" sounds like the Korean word for "rat", but Korean government prosecutors alleged that Park was making a derogatory statement about the president of South Korea, [[Lee Myung-bak]], the host of the summit. This case led to public outcry and debate on the lack of government tolerance and in support of freedom of expression. The court ruled that the painting, "an ominous creature like a rat" amounts to "an organized criminal activity" and upheld the fine while denying the prosecution's request for imprisonment for Park.<ref name=wsj>{{cite web |url= https://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2011/05/31/rat-graffiti-becomes-a-political-stew/ |title=Rat Graffiti Becomes a Political Stew|first=Jaeyeon|last=Woo|date=31 May 2011 |work=Korea Real Time (Wall Street Journal) |publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc |access-date=6 June 2011}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Graffiti in Asia">
File:Tsang graffiti.jpg|Street [[graffiti in Hong Kong]]
File:201712 Graffiti on a building of Shentangqiao1.jpg|The Graffiti Piece "Tante" (by Chen Dongfan) on the surface wall of an old residential building in [[Hangzhou]], [[Zhejiang]], China
</gallery>

=== Europe ===

[[File:Graffiti removal berlin.jpg|thumb|upright|Graffiti removal in [[Berlin]]]]

In Europe, community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti, in some cases with reckless abandon, as when in 1992 in France a local Scout group, attempting to remove modern graffiti, damaged {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20171109194433/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/26895452 two prehistoric paintings]}} of [[bison]] in the [[Cave of Mayrière supérieure]] near the French village of [[Bruniquel]] in [[Tarn-et-Garonne]], earning them the 1992 [[Ig Nobel Prize]] in [[archeology]].<ref name=improb>{{Cite web|url=http://www.improb.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html#ig1992|title=1992 Ig Nobel Prize Winners|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225074430/http://improb.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html#ig1992|archive-date=25 February 2011}}</ref>

In September 2006, the European Parliament directed the European Commission to create urban environment policies to prevent and eliminate dirt, litter, graffiti, animal excrement, and excessive noise from domestic and vehicular music systems in European cities, along with other concerns over urban life.<ref name=europa>{{Cite web|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-6-2006-0367_EN.html|title=Texts adopted - Thematic strategy on the urban environment - Tuesday, 26 September 2006|website=www.europarl.europa.eu}}</ref>

In [[Budapest]], Hungary, both a city-backed movement called ''I Love Budapest'' and a special police division tackle the problem, including the provision of approved areas.<ref name=index>{{Cite web|url=http://index.hu/belfold/budapest/2010/03/14/bealkonyult_a_falfirkanak_budapesten/ |title=Index—Belföld—Kommandó üldözi a graffitiseket |publisher=Index.hu |date=14 March 2010 |access-date=29 July 2010}}</ref>

=== United Kingdom ===
{{Main|Graffiti in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Leake street tunnel 2019-11-24.jpg|thumb|200px|It is permitted to create graffiti in the [[Leake Street|Leake st]] tunnel. The tunnel runs underneath Waterloo station in London. 2019]]

The [[Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003]] became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the [[Keep Britain Tidy]] campaign issued a press release calling for [[zero tolerance]] of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" [[Fine (penalty)|fine]]s to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16.<ref name=encams>{{cite press release|title=Graffiti|publisher=EnCams}}</ref> The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in [[music video]]s, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed "cool" or "edgy'" image.

To back the campaign, 123 [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) (including then Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]]), signed a charter which stated: "Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem."<ref name=wire>{{Cite news|title=Is the Writing on the Wall for Graffiti |publisher=PR News Wire |date= 28 July 2004 |url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=127383}}</ref>

In the UK, city councils have the power to take action against the owner of any property that has been defaced under the [[Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003]] (as amended by the [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050016_en_1 Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005]) or, in certain cases, the Highways Act. This is often used against owners of property that are complacent in allowing protective boards to be defaced so long as the property is not damaged.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

In July 2008, a [[Criminal conspiracy|conspiracy]] charge was used to convict graffitists for the first time. After a three-month police surveillance operation,<ref name=bbc2>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7502768.stm |title=Jail for leader of graffiti gang |access-date=17 July 2008 |date=11 July 2008
|work=BBC News}}</ref> nine members of the DPM crew were convicted of conspiracy to commit [[Property damage|criminal damage]] costing at least £1 million. Five of them received prison sentences, ranging from eighteen months to two years. The unprecedented scale of the investigation and the severity of the sentences rekindled public debate over whether graffiti should be considered art or crime.<ref name=indep>{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art-and-architecture/features/graffiti-street-art-ndash-or-crime-868736.html |title= Graffiti: Street art—or crime? |access-date=17 July 2008 |first=Arifa |last=Akbar |author2=Paul Vallely |date=16 July 2008 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] | location=London}}</ref>

Some councils, like those of Stroud and Loerrach, provide approved areas in the town where graffitists can showcase their talents, including underpasses, car parks, and walls that might otherwise prove a target for the "spray and run".<ref name=bbc3>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/content/articles/2007/04/17/graffiti_feature.shtml |title=Graffiti? Or is it Art? |publisher=BBC Gloucestershire }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Graffiti in Europe">
File:Mur de tags au Forum de Barcelone.jpg|Multi-artist graffiti in [[Barcelona]], Spain
File:KGD zumaia 1.jpg|Integration of graffiti into its environment, [[Zumaia]], Spain (2016)
File:Grafiti na Trsatu, Rijeka (Croatia).jpg|Graffiti made by school children in [[Rijeka]], Croatia
File:ქორქ?.jpg|Graffiti written in [[Georgian scripts|Georgian script]], [[Tbilisi]], Georgia
File:Princip Gavrilo grafit.JPG|Historical graffito of [[Gavrilo Princip]] in [[Belgrade]], Serbia
File:NN 07-08-2020 46.jpg|Graffiti on a garage near a school in [[Nizhny Novgorod]], Russia
File:Stadion Ljudski Vrt (19577579076).jpg|[[Association football|Football]] related graffiti in [[Maribor]], Slovenia
File:Our Lady of the Hattifatteners (cropped).jpg|Graffiti by [[Hazul]] in [[Porto]], Portugal
</gallery>

=== Australia ===

[[File:Graffiti tunnel 2009, University of Sydney.jpg|thumb|Graffiti Tunnel, University of Sydney at [[Camperdown, New South Wales|Camperdown]] (2009)]]

Ancient rock art in Australia is seen as a sacred part of First Nations histories, and many of it is legally protected, and some are given National Heritage status.<ref>{{Cite web |last=corporateName=National Museum of Australia; address=Lawson Crescent |first=Acton Peninsula |title=National Museum of Australia - First rock art |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/first-rock-art |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=www.nma.gov.au |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Tangara T63 with graffiti.png|alt=T set with graffiti |thumb|A [[Sydney Trains T set]] at [[Milsons Point railway station]] with graffiti]]
In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities in Australia have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by writers. One early example is the "Graffiti Tunnel" located at the [[Camperdown, New South Wales|Camperdown]] Campus of the [[University of Sydney]], which is available for use by any student at the university to tag, advertise, poster, and paint. Advocates of this idea suggest that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or [[trespassing]].<ref name="warrin">{{Cite web|title=Legal Graffiti Wall Rules |publisher=Warringah Council |access-date=25 August 2006 |url=http://www.warringah.nsw.gov.au/rules.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821083531/http://www.warringah.nsw.gov.au/rules.htm |archive-date=21 August 2006 }}</ref><ref name="abc">{{Cite news |title=Newcastle beach to get 'legal graffiti' wall |publisher=ABC News Online |date=25 May 2005 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/nsw/newcastle/200505/s1376470.htm |access-date=9 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429195909/http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/nsw/newcastle/200505/s1376470.htm |archive-date=29 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere.<ref name="towno">{{Cite news |title=Against the wall |publisher=North Shore:Towns Online.com |date=11 August 2006 |url=http://www.townonline.com/lynnfield/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=555224 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Some local government areas throughout Australia have introduced "anti-graffiti squads", who clean graffiti in the area, and such crews as BCW (Buffers Can't Win) have taken steps to keep one step ahead of local graffiti cleaners.

Many state governments have banned the sale or possession of spray paint to those under the age of 18 ([[age of majority]]). However, a number of local governments in Victoria have taken steps to recognize the cultural heritage value of some examples of graffiti, such as prominent political graffiti. Tough new graffiti laws have been introduced in Australia with fines of up to A$26,000 and two years in prison.

[[Melbourne]] is a prominent graffiti city of Australia with many of its lanes being tourist attractions, such as [[Hosier Lane, Melbourne|Hosier Lane]] in particular, a popular destination for photographers, wedding photography, and backdrops for corporate print advertising. The [[Lonely Planet]] travel guide cites Melbourne's street as a major attraction. All forms of graffiti, including [[sticker]] art, [[poster]], [[stencil]] art, and [[wheatpasting]], can be found in many places throughout the city. Prominent street art precincts include; [[Fitzroy, Victoria|Fitzroy]], [[Collingwood, Victoria|Collingwood]], [[Northcote, Victoria|Northcote]], [[Brunswick, Victoria|Brunswick]], [[St Kilda, Victoria|St. Kilda]], and the CBD, where stencil and sticker art is prominent. As one moves farther away from the city, mostly along suburban train lines, graffiti tags become more prominent. Many international artists such as Banksy have left their work in Melbourne and in early 2008 a [[perspex]] screen was installed to prevent a Banksy stencil art piece from being destroyed, it has survived since 2003 through the respect of local street artists avoiding posting over it, although it has recently had paint tipped over it.<ref name=wato>{{cite web |title=The painter painted: Melbourne loses its treasured Banksy |url=http://www.watoday.com.au/national/the-painter-painted-melbourne-loses-its-treasured-banksy-20081213-6xzy.html |access-date=30 June 2009|date=13 December 2008 }}</ref>

=== New Zealand ===

[[File:Christchurch Stock Yards.jpg|thumb|Former Christchurch stock yards]]

In February 2008 [[Helen Clark]], the New Zealand prime minister at that time, announced a government crackdown on tagging and other forms of graffiti vandalism, describing it as a destructive crime representing an invasion of public and private property. New legislation subsequently adopted included a ban on the sale of paint spray cans to persons under 18 and increases in maximum fines for the offence from NZ$200 to NZ$2,000 or extended community service. The issue of tagging become a widely debated one following an incident in [[Auckland]] during January 2008 in which a middle-aged property owner stabbed one of two teenage taggers to death and was subsequently convicted of [[manslaughter]].

=== United States ===

{{Main|Graffiti in the United States}}
[[Image:Elevator graffiti.jpg|thumb|right|An elevator position indicator with scratch graffiti]]

==== Tracker databases ====

Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender's moniker or tag in a simple, effective, and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to a city to help allocate an anti-graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them not only to focus on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.<ref name=crcp>{{Cite web|url=http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439839348|title=Chapter 8 |work= Introduction to Criminal Investigation. Editor(s) Michael Birzer and Cliff Roberson }}</ref>

==== Gang injunctions ====

Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers, or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including, but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls, and fences, vehicles or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing both public and private property, including but not limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, tree, or power pole.<ref name=crcp2>{{Cite web|url=http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439867877;jsessionid=oiq+Tqxg3f+0sNwBYnDx+Q**|title=gang abatement|work=Gang Injunctions and Abatement: Using Civil Remedies to Curb Gang Related Crimes|first=Matthew|last=O'Deane|access-date=21 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015105055/http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439867877;jsessionid=oiq+Tqxg3f+0sNwBYnDx+Q**|archive-date=15 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Hotlines and reward programs ====

To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego's hotline receives more than 5,000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time; there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and its removal. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks, and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided, and the action taken.<ref name=lawtec>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lawtechcustompublishing.com/publication.asp?pid=47 |title=gang |work=Gangs: Theory, Practice and Research |first=Matthew |last=O'Deane |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305003323/http://www.lawtechcustompublishing.com/publication.asp?pid=47 |archive-date=5 March 2016 }}</ref>

==== Search warrants ====

When police obtain search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation, they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays; etching tools, or other sharp or pointed objects, which could be used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces; permanent marking pens, markers, or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew; paraphernalia including any reference to "(tagger's name)"; any drawings, writing, objects, or graffiti depicting taggers' names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or any mention of tagging crew membership; and any newspaper clippings relating to graffiti crime.<ref name=paladin>{{Cite web|url=http://www.paladin-press.com/product/Gang_Investigators_Handbook/Gangs |title=gang |work=Gang Investigators Handbook |first=Matthew |last=O'Deane}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Graffiti in the United States">
SUBWAY CAR - NARA - 554325.jpg|Rampant graffiti hampers visibility into and out of [[New York City Subway]] cars (1973).
Graffiti Tunnel (2078441177).jpg|Graffiti-lined tunnel in [[San Francisco]]
Smear Street Art1.jpg|Graffiti in [[Los Angeles]] (2006)
Love your country, not government.jpg|Anti-governmental graffiti in [[Bolinas, California]]
I'm a Man Mural in Memphis 2.jpg|Protest art in [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
Cortlandt Alley, New York-L1002108.jpg|Graffiti in Cortlandt Alley, [[Tribeca]], [[Lower Manhattan]] (2023)
</gallery>