A deputy mayor of Helsinki is under fire after being caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti
HELSINKI (AP) — Facing potential legal action, the deputy mayor of Finland’s capital is calling for him to pay damages and resign after being caught red-handed spray-painting graffiti in a railway tunnel.
Finland’s Transport Infrastructure Agency told public broadcaster YLE on Wednesday that cleaning up graffiti illegally painted by Paavo Arhinmäki, one of Helsinki’s four deputy mayors, has cost the city about €3,500.
Arhinmäki, 46, and a friend were caught by guards in a railway tunnel in eastern Helsinki on Friday just after applying graffiti.
This is reported by Finland’s largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat a photo of the large-scale graffiti in a tweet.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Arhinmäki, who is known as a strong supporter of street art and as a graffiti creator in his youth, apologized for his “stupid weirdness”. He is a former legislator and chairman of the Left Alliance and served as Minister of Culture and Sports in 2011-2014.
The police are investigating the act as vandalism and obstruction of train traffic, which had to be temporarily halted due to the incident. The rail tunnel is used by freight trains traveling to and from a harbor in Helsinki.
It was not 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 position and the Helsinki city council, where his Left Alliance party supports him.
The case has sparked uproar and debate among Helsinki residents on social media, with a majority condemning the actions of the deputy mayor, who is responsible for culture and leisure in Helsinki, a city of 650,000 people – but some also strong support.
The Finnish capital spends an estimated 650,000 euros ($710,000) annually on removing illegal graffiti across the city, and is currently seeking additional sanctioned street art venues.
