AF ASBO in London
ben | 15.07.2006 18:11 | Culture | Free Spaces | London
Well they've done it again. Some dick with a can of spray paint and nothing better to write or prove has sprayed the initials A F (circle A anarchy style no less) outside the rampART. This wouldn't perhaps be so annoying if A F meant anything in terms of the rampart by virtue of indicating that a group known by those initials actually have anything to do with running the space, but they don't. It wouldn't be so anoying if the letters weren't deliberatly sprayed over a piece of art work that was actually commisioned by those who do run the space....
It's not the first time. In fact it will be the third. The first time the letters appeared was quite early on in the history of the rampART. The same letters appeared on LARC and even a business oposite the East London Mosque. The appearance of the first graffiti at the enterance to the rampART resulted in complaints by local residents about other grafiti in the street which they now decided must have something to do with the squat. It didn't exactly frill us that some random pseudo anarchist had decided to tag the rampART.
Quite some time later we commisioned an artist to do a mural on the wall on either side of the enterance as well as one on the corner of the block to signpost the way in. She began her work but could not finish due to a family crises but within a few weeks the arsehole with his red paint was back and sprayed A F once again dirfectly over the artwork.
When our friend returned to continue the mural she ended up having to fix the damage done by our anonymous anarcho tagger. Insidentally, the local kids who are responsible for most of the other tagging in the street and on the back of the rampart building itself have left the mural alone.
It's also somewhat ironic that we managed to save the mural and other graffiti on the rampART from being cleaned off by the council. Instead we find that somebody who might typically be considered a natural allie has decided to vandalise the efforts of other activists, seemingly for no better reason than to make the A F look like inconsiderate wankers.
Wankers indeed for now the A F tag is back, this time two of them. Both deliberatly sprayed directly over both the start of the mural by the enterance and also over the sign on the corner that point the way to the rampART.
Well, I personally am quite certain that this twat doesn't represent the Anarchist Federation in any way shape or form - of course. But other people might, and they certainly wouldn't be wrong to consider the spray happy individual responsible, somthing of an anti-social wanker.
Quite some time later we commisioned an artist to do a mural on the wall on either side of the enterance as well as one on the corner of the block to signpost the way in. She began her work but could not finish due to a family crises but within a few weeks the arsehole with his red paint was back and sprayed A F once again dirfectly over the artwork.
When our friend returned to continue the mural she ended up having to fix the damage done by our anonymous anarcho tagger. Insidentally, the local kids who are responsible for most of the other tagging in the street and on the back of the rampart building itself have left the mural alone.
It's also somewhat ironic that we managed to save the mural and other graffiti on the rampART from being cleaned off by the council. Instead we find that somebody who might typically be considered a natural allie has decided to vandalise the efforts of other activists, seemingly for no better reason than to make the A F look like inconsiderate wankers.
Wankers indeed for now the A F tag is back, this time two of them. Both deliberatly sprayed directly over both the start of the mural by the enterance and also over the sign on the corner that point the way to the rampART.
Well, I personally am quite certain that this twat doesn't represent the Anarchist Federation in any way shape or form - of course. But other people might, and they certainly wouldn't be wrong to consider the spray happy individual responsible, somthing of an anti-social wanker.
ben
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