Transforming Neo-Nazi Graffiti Into Whimsical Street Art

Ibo Omari has a plan for when he comes across a swastika painted onto a wall in his hometown of Berlin. He’ll grab a can of spray paint from the graffiti supply shop that he owns, and cover it up. But Omari doesn’t just erase the Nazi trademark—he transforms it.

Since launching Berlin #PaintBack earlier this year, Omari and his fellow organizers have covered up at least 20 swastikas across Berlin, leaving an array of whimsical street art where symbols of hate were once visible. #PaintBack has morphed swastikas into a flower, a fly being chased by a net, and a cat sitting in a window. Through Omari’s NGO, Die Kulturellen Erben (“The Cultural Heritage,” in English), he and his co-members offer workshops for youth and street-art novices on how to enact #PaintBack’s motto: “Answering messages of hate with love.”