China’s ‘Banksy’ and associate go on trial for defacing city walls with graffiti
- Pair charged with ‘provoking trouble’ after spray painting more than 10 walls in south China city
- One defendant said he wanted his work to be seen by more people
Two graffiti artists went on trial in southern China last week charged with “provoking trouble” after an evening of spray painting walls failed to impress the local police.
The male defendants, neither of whom was named, appeared in court in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province on Friday in the first trial of its kind, Beijing Youth News reported on Thursday.
One was identified as a 20-year-old university student who was quoted as saying he had a passion for graffiti and wanted his work to be seen by more people.
“I just want to be a street artist like [English graffiti artist] Banksy. I didn’t expect it to be a serious crime,” he said.
The report did not provide details of what the two men painted but said their work was found on more than 10 walls along a single street in Zhaoqing.
The incident happened in September and the pair were identified just hours after completing their work, it said, adding that all of the graffiti was promptly removed by sanitation workers.