Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

My experience has been that even in very well policed areas, those who term themselves "graffiti artists", whom I call "graffiti vandals", will carry out their work. Second, I am not inclined to agree with the proposition that there are legitimate and illegitimate graffiti. The fact that some vandals are technically more skilled than others does not excuse what they do. If there is a call for bare walls to be made available for people with artistic urges to express themselves, it is a matter for local authorities rather than for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Those bare walls are only in certain places.

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