A 37-year-old artist in Germany was disgusted by the growing number of swastikas he saw spray-painted around his community.
So, instead of allowing the hateful signs to remain visible, Ibo Omari recruited a team of young street artists to cover them up with friendly illustrations.
Using color and form, the Berlin team takes a positive stance against hatred in their city.
Omari, who runs a graffiti shop and youth club in Berlin, launched the Paint Back initiative to encourage everyone to take action against ugly vandalism.
Since he first created the campaign, his team has transformed 25 swastikas into works of art—all of which were done with permission from the property owner.
Since Omari’s team launched their mission in 2015, they’ve seen fewer and fewer newly spray-painted swastikas in the area.
Additionally, the Paint Back campaign has inspired dozens of other artists to cover up similar hate symbols in Hamburg, Kiel, and Bremen.
“It was important to spur young people into action and to encourage them to take responsibility so they don’t just ignorantly walk past such symbols of hatred,” Omari told Reuters.
“It offends the whole neighborhood if someone in our midst paints swastikas in a children’s playground and I take it personally.”
Omari’s team aren’t the only ones fighting anti-Semitism in Berlin, either – 70-year-old Irmela Schramm made headlines last year for constantly painting hearts over swastikas that she saw in public.
(WATCH the artists in action below)
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