Graffiti are writings, drawings, scribbles, scratches, done on the wall or surface often without permission from the owner of the wall or surface. We see them on bridges, buildings, roofs, sometimes in places hard to reach but in full public view. In my opinion graffiti = borderline vandalism.
No country or city is immune to graffiti. Japan, a country known to have well-disciplined and law-abiding citizens has it’s own share of graffiti-ers.
As the train approaches Gare du Nord in central Paris, your senses would be stimulated by the sights of graffiti along the fences beside the railways.
In Lisbon, we think their share of graffiti is a bit too much making the city look madungis. The scribbles don’t spare bank offices’ windows and residential doors. That’s not street art. That’s vandalism.
There is no respect for business establishments.
They just scribble anywhere in total disregard for their city’s cleanliness and for the owners of those walls and doors.
Vandalized door
Lisbon is blessed with millions of tourists yearly. Portugal received over 21 million tourists in 2017 and Lisbon got the biggest chunk. Thirteen million came from foreign countries and the rest from the EU nations. Their income from tourism helps drive their economy up and is steadily rising beginning in 2014. Their income is enough to clean all these graffiti. Yes
it’s true that after cleaning the graffiti, the vandals could be back the next day so the government should have a dedicated team that goes around the city cleaning and painting over the dirty-looking scribbles. They may not be able to totally eradicate or totally stop the graffiti-ers but at least minimize so the city would look cleaner and more pleasing to the eyes of the visitors.
