NSW experiences rise in ‘offensive, political’ graffiti and vandalism

NSW has witnessed a troubling spike in offensive, politically charged graffiti and vandalism with western Sydney the hardest hit. Here’s the latest.

NSW has witnessed a troubling spike in offensive graffiti and vandalism with western Sydney hardest hit by inflammatory incidents, new data shows.

Fairfield, Penrith and Liverpool were among the suburbs slugged with a 288 per cent increase in graffiti incidents since October last year, trailed by southern Sydney with a reported 59 per cent increase in vandalism incidents.

It comes after community problem-solving app Snap Send Solve, typically used by residents to report potholes and damaged amenities, noticed an alarming rise in graffiti cases including the spraying of “HAMAS” on buildings in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Founder and CEO Danny Gorog said the platform had seen an increase in reporting via word-of-mouth as the nature of graffiti became offensive and political.

“Particularly at the moment there is a bit of a heightened political environment, we’ve been seeing regular protests around Sydney and I think it seems to be a way for some of the community to take out their frustration with what the government is or isn’t doing,” Mr Gorog said.

‘White Pride’ messages were among the racist graffiti reported in the last year.

‘F--k the pigs’ and ‘f--k the cops’ took aim at law enforcement.

Nazi swastikas graffitied on trees in Gymea were reported to Snap Send Solve.

“Graffiti is kind of an easy form of protest and I think there’s a lot of that in the graffiti we see … so some people who maybe don’t want to speak to their elected members … think that’s the way they could communicate how they feel.

“We have seen more offensive graffiti, particularly around racial [issues] … nasty stuff in the community. But it’s got to be noted that authorities respond very, very quickly to most of that (the reports) which is terrific.”

Inner west resident Lana Smith said she has reported graffiti every fortnight during the last few months, with political images becoming more common.

“There is probably a bit more politically-[charged] graffiti out there than I have seen before,” she said.

“I have noticed a combination of general tagging with lots of nondescript lines and more stencilling in relation to what’s happening in the Middle East … where someone has got a template and they have quickly sprayed an image,” she said.

Pro-Hamas graffiti has been on the rise in the eastern suburbs.

It comes amid an overall increase in politically-motivated graffiti and vandalism.

Ms Smith said besides “mindless tagging,” the image she had seen most frequently in the inner west depicted an Israeli hostage with their hands held above their head.

“Graffiti is something that happens in waves … year on year I have to report more,” she said.

“I think there’s a better way to leave your mark on society. I think if you are choosing to do something destructive take a look inward … go join some sports, do something productive, there’s lots you can do out there.”

Data mined from the app revealed western Sydney suburbs recorded 132 reports of graffiti for October 2023-24, compared to just 34 reports in October 2022-2023.

These numbers paled in comparison to the 6.8 per cent increase in graffiti incidents reported across the rest of NSW during the last 12 months.

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) statistics showed graffiti incidents reported to NSW Police in the past two years had been relatively stable.

However, Randwick LGA experienced a 94 per cent increase in graffiti reports, followed by the Sutherland Shire and Hornsby LGA with 45 and 42 per cent increases.

BOCSAR suggested the difference between official statistics and Snap Send Solve data came down to people opting to report graffiti through police or council.