Foreign community joins forces with scouts to remove eyesore graffiti
Unauthorised graffiti was removed from several walls and structures in the picturesque fishing village of Ferragudo. The initiative was carried out last weekend by dozens of volunteers.
The idea was pitched to the local parish council by a group of over 20 citizens, most of whom are foreigners, who carried out the initiative on Saturday with the help of the local maritime scouts group 413.
Said the parish council, “the initiative aims to raise awareness of the need to keep public areas in better conditions – in this case, without graffiti”.
It also aims to show that these types of unauthorised graffiti are considered “vandalism” and that “considerable human, material and financial resources” are needed to remove them.
The initiative also helped pinpoint that around €2,000 are needed to remove the graffiti from the viewpoint near the local church and repaint it.
Nonetheless, volunteers were able to remove a “substantial amount of the graffiti” along the village’s riverside area and near the local church, said the parish council, adding that similar efforts will be carried out in the coming weeks to remove the entirety of the graffiti.
The parish council thanked everyone who took part in the initiative, praising their citizenship and asking everyone to be on the lookout for these kinds of “acts of vandalism” so that those responsible can be identified and “forced to repair the damage caused to equipment which belongs to everyone”.
While urban art is becoming an increasingly appreciated and accepted form of breathing new life into public spaces, these works must always be carried out with due authorisation and in specially designated areas.
By Michael Bruxo
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