Swastika and Russian pro-war Z graffiti artist arrested for defacing spots in Barcelona

A graffiti artist who had been spray painting swastika and Russian pro-war Z symbols on emblematic Barcelona buildings has been arrested by the Catalan Mossos d’Esquadra. 

The man who was arrested is a 57 year old Ukrainian who has allegedly defaced iconic buildings in Barcelona such as the Barcelona Cathedral, the Catalan government headquarters, the Archdiocese, the Casa de l’Ardiaca, the Llotja de Mar and the site of the Ukrainian association Djerelo, as reported by Catalan News. 

In addition to Russian pro-war symbols and swastikas, the graffiti artist has also been painting threatening messages to Ukrainians on these central Barcelona buildings. 

The painted symbols were first spotted on the Cathedral and Djerelo association’s headquarters over a month ago, and the police investigation began on the 14th September. The similarity of the symbols was what suggested that they had been all been painted by the same person. 

The police operation to find and arrest the alleged perpetrator was launched earlier this week after threatening messages to Ukainians and Russian’s against the invasion started showing up in Barcelona’s Poble Nou neighbourhood, usually considered one of the city’s trendy and creative cultural hubs, according to The Independent. 

The 57 year old man who has been charged with spray painting the offensive designs and messages is a Barceloneta neighbourhood resident. He has been charged with two counts of threats and property crimes and one count of hate crime and has since been released from custody, according to Catalan News. 

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