The politics of public space

The writer says Athens Mayor Haris Doukas ‘does not admit the amerciable quality of the overgarment connected marble, nor of people the anti-democratic constituent inherent successful the imposition of the aesthetics of 1 idiosyncratic connected the nationalist space of many.’ [AMNA]

The clash betwixt the Municipality of Athens and the Ministry of Tourism implicit the antisemitic graffiti that precocious popped up connected the walls of Athens – a metropolis already wildly vandalized – is successful world a clash of opposing cultures. Each broadside begins from a wholly antithetic starting constituent and the main constituent of contention is not the governmental contented of the graffiti, but the graffiti itself arsenic an act.

The politician expressed his sympathy for municipality upset adjacent during the play of campaigning, up of the past municipal elections. Haris Doukas, contempt his organization status, does not admit the amerciable quality of the overgarment connected marble, nor of people the anti-democratic constituent inherent successful the imposition of the aesthetics of 1 idiosyncratic connected the nationalist space of many. When asked astir this, helium linked graffiti with art, without adjacent distinguishing betwixt works of creator value and specified scribbling. Not that such a favoritism would marque immoderate sense; it is precisely due to the fact that everyone has a antithetic sentiment astir what should adorn nationalist space that municipality aesthetics are subject to rules, the observance of which we entrust to municipal authorities done elections.

The existent authorization has decided that it is not acrophobic astir this issue. Doukas knows that helium was elected, among different things, thanks to the favour of those who due the blighted metropolis for their ain governmental payment and goes with the flow. Do radical want to write connected the walls? Then the metropolis belongs to them! Destruction is creation!

Methodology and agenda

Of course, the unconditional acceptance of the horrible slogans connected each imaginable surface of the city, isolated from the ideological issue, is besides based connected a purely utilitarian fact: One will not brushwood galore right-wing slogans connected the Athens’ walls. If the walls were covered with inscriptions of akin aesthetic, but without the left-wing governmental inspiration, it is astir apt that municipal authorities would renounce the view that municipality sloganeering overrides the value of nationalist and backstage property; it would not emotion graffiti arsenic it does now.

Endorsement, therefore, toward the use of the municipality situation arsenic a tract of idiosyncratic look does not stem from a distorted but genuine romanticism of a civilization of liberalism. On the contrary, it serves specific governmental purposes; it has an agenda, which aims to strengthen those who maltreatment the mean astatine the disbursal of those who respect legality. Gradually, tolerance of vandalism transforms it into a authorities that shapes a clime of propaganda. Athenians who spot the aforesaid slogans perpetually successful beforehand of them presume that they correspond much radical than they really do. Moreover, they extremity up considering it normal. They spot the vandalism, but bash not comprehend it arsenic such.

Support vs hatred

But adjacent if we acceptable speech the inherently problematic quality of unauthorized and unregulated graffiti successful the city, and absorption lone connected its content, we cannot debar the request for qualitative distinction. There is simply a large quality betwixt pro-Palestinian slogans and slogans calling for decease to Jews; there is simply a quality betwixt messages of support for 1 radical and messages of hatred against another.

The information that we perpetually spot the worst version of governmental messaging connected the walls of the metropolis is nary coincidence. But this is the atrocious happening astir verbal fireworks, written oregon not: They bash not springiness discourse to the attack, they bash not enlighten, they lone fanaticize and perpetuate hatred alternatively of breaking it. This is of people besides the past of antisemitism: It is fed by prejudice, scapegoating and mediocre knowledge. And if the City of Athens fails to understand that antisemitism (and particularly that which is legitimized by omission) is fueling the occurrence of war, possibly it should think beyond the mayor’s ideological fixations.

The “hunt” for Israeli and non-Israeli Jews successful Athens whitethorn not excite the humanitarian reflexes of the municipal authorities, but it sets a grim precedent. The adjacent wave of racist persecution whitethorn not person the alibi of war.