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Tarek Alghorani: The revolution in Syria started because of graffiti. A small group of boys from Daraa watched the Egyptian and Tunisian revolution on TV, and they spray-painted the slogan “the people want the regime to fall.” The Mukhabarat, the secret police, arrested them, tortured them, ripped out their fingernails, and that’s when the rest of the country broke out in protests. At the beginning of the revolution, whenever people assembled, there were only a few of them. The police and security forces could easily split them up with no trace left behind. That’s where the idea of drawings came in. Even if the police came in and dispersed people, anyone walking by later would know, “There was a protest here, revolutionaries were here.” It’s a stamp, a mark. And it’s difficult for the police, because they get tired. Every time they would clean up a wall, something else would appear. What role do you play in this graffiti movement?
In the beginning, activists would just quickly spray the walls with words and phrases like “freedom” or “down with the regime,” like the kids from Daraa, but it was rushed. I wanted to introduce an element of art to it, something to commemorate the martyrs we have lost in the revolution. Our goal is to use art to voice our concerns. In April, I started uploading videos on YouTube of how to spray-paint walls and put stencil drawings on Facebook for graffiti artists to use.
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The best possible scenario is that they kill you on the spot. If they detain you, you’ll go to political prison where you’re tortured and will eventually die a slower, more painful death. You’ll die either way, but dying immediately while you’re tagging something is definitely preferable to losing your mind while getting tortured. How many people have died over graffiti?
They killed Nour Hatem Zahra, who was known as Al Ragel al Bakeheh, or Spray Man. He was like Spider-Man or Batman. They killed him while he was tagging. People know about Nour’s death, because his family publicized how he died and held a funeral for him, saying, “Our son died for this cause.” That’s not always the case. Some graffiti artists who died, their families didn’t want to release their name or even hold a funeral for them. They’re scared the security forces could come after them. We think there are about 15 graffiti artists who have died for this cause so far in our particular movement. I have those names, but I don’t want to release them. It’s not up to me.

If a family holds a funeral, it’s like they’re proud or happy, so the security forces will then consider them a threat to national security. What about your family? What’s happening with them?
My parents joined the first protests—from the very beginning, when I was still in prison. They’re still in Syria, but I have to maintain my distance. I try to call them every 15 days or so, but we keep the conversations short. They’re scared that they’re under surveillance. Do all of the artists work exclusively in spray paint?
We also have Al Ragal al Dahan, the Paint Men, who are the artists in Syria who use actual paint and brushes. They paint larger murals, like big Syrian flags or full portraits of the martyrs who’ve died in the movement. There are more spray men, because they have stencils. They come quickly and spray their stencils on the wall so the security forces don’t catch them. Are there any women graffiti writers?
Yes. We have Al Mar’a al Behkaha, Spray Women.
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When we have women drawing on the walls, we usually take extra precautions to take care of them. As far as I know, none of the women tagging within our movement have experienced any sexual harassment since we take care of one another. We take care of the women just as much as we take care of the men. What’s the best piece of graffiti you’ve seen?
It was a picture of a lock with members of the Syrian security forces inside it. You’d see it on storefronts or in alleys. Many of the people who are anti-regime are also very religious. Do the stencils or any of the drawings promote religion?
We’re secular, and religion is a touchy subject right now. We believe in a peaceful movement and in condemning the use of weapons. What did graffiti look like in Syria before the revolution?
It wasn’t graffiti. It was mostly pictures of Assad. All the drawings on the walls in Syria were promoting the current government or regime. Sometimes you’d see giant paintings of the Syrian flag with government slogans underneath it. What role do you think graffiti will have after the revolution?
I think that the revolution will continue, even if Bashar falls from power and the current regime ends. There are a lot of things we want and need, and I don’t think graffiti will die. People may not write about Assad, but they will write about everything from human rights to social issues and express their desires that way. And the drawings of the martyrs will always be there, so people won’t forget them.Photos courtesy of Tarek AlghoraniFor an overview of the issues that have fueled the conflict in Syria, we recommend reading "Road to Ruin," our condensed timeline of Syrian history, and "The VICE Guide to Syria," a crash course on the country's geopolitical, cultural, and religious complexities.