An Ugly Side Of Greece – Vandalism To Property

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graffiti covered abandoned industrial building in nea ionia, attica

I was out for a walk the other day when it was mostly sunny and not too many clouds in the sky. It was a beautiful day contrasted with the week before, which had been mostly cloudy, damp, and chilly.

I often walk or drive past the building in the above photo, but hadn’t thought before to take a photo of it. It’s a good example of what one often comes across in many parts of Greece; not just in the cities. Vandalism to property in the form of graffiti.

I suppose it is to be expected in cities and densely populated areas – even parts of Toronto are vandalized by people who have no sense of property rights and seem to believe that their right to expressions means others are also obligated to view them. They also seem to believe that their right to expression exceeds the right of property ownership. Of course, this is a foolish understanding of rights.

Sadly, almost anywhere you go in Greece, even out in rural areas, you’ll come across ugly displays of graffiti on the sides of buildings, walls, and even destroying the beauty of natural scenery. While many I speak with in Greece hate it, they seem to have come to accept it as just a fact of life that vandals will wreck property.

Much of the graffiti in Greece is from a political point of view and the vast vast majority of it include symbols of the communist party and slogans about communist and socialist ideas. You’ll also see quite a bit of “ANTIFA” markings, and expressions of “Solidarity With Immigrants.”

These graffiti vandals stop at nothing and view just about any surface including walls along roads that mark home property boundaries, signs that provide information about ancient historical sites, and even the walls of other people’s homes as their right to be considered their canvass of choice.

It’s sad, really.

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