September 8, , 21 Comments. Our opposite neighbours gave up fighting the tide of graffiti long ago; everytime the wall was redone, it got sprayed again so now they just leave it. Last week our building was sprayed as well, for the second time in five months — and we live in a nice part of town, on a fairly busy street.
Despite us re-painting, it will happen no doubt again within the next six months because graffiti seems to be the Swiss disease. The question is — why? Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with jaw-dropping scenery and splendid medieval town centres. Except for the graffiti. Any patch of blank wall is liable to be sprayed at any moment, no matter what the wall is part of.
Now, I have no problem with motorway overpasses, railway sidings and disused factories being painted; in some cases it brightens up what would be yet another dull stretch of concrete.
What mystifies me is why the Swiss put up with the graffiti. And this in a country where there are strict rules about everything from rubbish bags to Sunday DIY. Switzerland works so well and is so clean precisely because the rules are there and are strictly enforced, often by communal will.
But when it comes to graffiti, the rules seem to go out the window. Sprayers, as they are known in Swiss German as well, appear to be treated far more leniently than someone whose car is parked slightly over the blue line.
