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Legal wallLegal walls or open walls,[1] are public spaces where graffiti is allowed by any member of the public. Legal walls started in Scandinavia,[1] and the first legal wall was likely the klotterplanket ("scribble board") in Stockholm which opened in 1968. The wall was repainted white every morning by a civil servant.[2] They are still most common in Scandinavia,[2] as well as Australia[3] where there are over thirty legal walls in Canberra alone.[4] However, legal walls exist around the world.[5][6] .jpg) Legal walls are different from commissioned murals or commercial graffiti as writers and artists are given relative freedom in what they create,[1] although hateful messages are often disallowed.[7] They may be state-designated spaces[8] or privately owned.[2] Privately owned walls may need council permission to exist in some jurisdictions, where graffiti-style art is illegal in public even if done on personal property.[9] CultureIn typical graffiti spaces, going over someone elses writing (or "capping") is an insult, but legal walls are often repainted multiple times a day with no disrespect taken by artists.[10] Some writers dismiss legal graffiti as "not real" and avoid legal walls.[10] These people may consider a writer who uses legal walls to be a toy (inexperienced or uncultured writer).[10] Some writers believe that legal walls defeats the purpose of graffiti, as a rebellious act[3] to reclaim public space.[1] Writers interested in acquiring graffiti "fame" are often uninterested in legal walls.[3] Despite this, legal walls are used equally by both inexperienced and experienced writers.[3] They can attract "retired" writers who are at a higher risk from doing illegal graffiti.[3] Cameron McAuliffe says legal walls can help legitimise graffiti as an art form.[3] This was seen on a legal wall in Malmö, where after a group of young people were attacked by neo-nazis, large scale protests were held and a local legal wall was painted with a piece using the words "Kämpa Malmö" ("Keep fighting Malmö") with a rainbow ribbon, and the anti-fascist slogan "No Pasaran".[2] The piece became an attraction, and was restored multiple times. There were calls for the art to be protected by the local council.[2] Effect on illegal graffitiThere is debate about whether legal walls discourage or encourage illegal graffiti.[2] Paramatta in Australia used to have several legal walls, but after the local council decided on a zero-tolerance policy in related to graffiti in 2009, all but one of the legal walls were demolished.[3] The council said that graffiti had decreased in the area since the legal walls were removed.[11] Other research has shown that legal walls reduce illegal graffiti by giving writers a safer, often visible space for their art.[12] Opponents of legal walls argue that if writers wanted to produce art legally, they would already be using canvases instead of illegal spaces.[12] Places mistaken as legal wallsSome places are "grey areas", where graffiti is not legal but is generally left up by authorities, often due to popularity with tourists.[2] These include Hosier Lane in Melbourne[13] and Rush Lane (Graffiti Alley) in Toronto.[14] Others walls exist as something between commissioned art and legal walls, and are curated, invitation-only art walls that are in public spaces but not open to anyone to paint on[2] such as the Venice Art Walls. Notable legal wallsFully legal walls include
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