This Artist Transforms Swastika Graffiti into Colorful Works of Art

German artist Ibo Omari was fed up with the amount of neo-natizi swastikas that he saw graffitied around his neighborhood, so he and a team of street artists hit the streets to transform into colorful works of art.

Omari, also runs a youth club and graffiti shop in Berlin, where he launched the Paint Back initiative, encouraging people to take action on the vandalism. Since then, starting the campaign in 2015, they’ve noticed a drop in swastikas around the city. It’s also started a similar movement in Hamburg, Kiel, and Bremen.

“It was important to spur young people into action and to encourage them to take responsibility so they don’t just ignorantly walk past such symbols of hatred,” Omari said. “It offends the whole neighborhood if someone in our midst paints swastikas in a children’s playground and I take it personally.”