A Helsinki deputy mayor is under fire after being caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti
The deputy mayor of Finland’s capital is facing possible legal action and calls for him to pay compensation for damages and to resign after he was caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti in a railway tunnel last weekend
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The deputy mayor of Finland’s capital is facing possible legal action, and calls for him to pay compensation for damages and to resign, after he was caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti in a railway tunnel last weekend.
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency told public broadcaster YLE on Wednesday that cleaning up graffiti illegally painted by Paavo Arhinmäki, one of the four deputy mayors of Helsinki, cost the city around 3,500 euros ($3,830).
Arhinmäki, 46, and a friend were caught by guards in a rail tunnel in eastern Helsinki on Friday just after they had completed graffiti, which Finnish street art experts said looked partly inspired by works seen in New York City in the 1970s.
Finland’s largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, published a photo of the large-scale graffiti in a tweet.
In a Facebook posting on Sunday, Arhinmäki, who is known as a strong supporter of street art and as a creator of graffiti in his youth, apologized for his “stupid fooling around.” He is a former lawmaker and chairman of the Left Alliance, and served as a minister for culture and sports in 2011-2014.
Police are investigating the act as vandalism and interference with rail traffic, which had to be temporarily halted because of the incident. The rail tunnel is used by cargo trains running to and from a Helsinki port.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Arhinmäki would face legal charges.
“I have committed a crime and bear full responsibility for it,” Arhinmäki told YLE on Monday, but has refused to resign from his post and the Helsinki City Council where his Left Alliance party is backing him.
The case has caused uproar and debate among Helsinki citizens in social media with a majority condemning — but some also fiercely supporting — the actions of the deputy mayor who is in charge of culture and leisure affairs in Helsinki, a city of 650,000 inhabitants.
The Finnish capital spends an estimated 650,000 euros ($710,000) annually to remove illegal graffiti throughout the city, and is currently seeking to establish additional sanctioned sites for street art.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.