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1412:. Shocked when she returned and found that no one had removed it, she decided to scrape it away with her keychain. After this incident, she began to notice neo-Nazi and right-wing extremist graffiti wherever she went, and resolved to make removing it part of her daily routine. As of 2021, she had removed at least 90,000 stickers, with many of these preserved in binders for posterity, and effaced at least 10,000 spray-painted messages or symbols. According to the
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Mensah-Schramm documents her graffiti effacement photographically, and preserves these photos along with removed stickers in binders. As of 2016, she had filled 82 such binders. These were exhibited in a room devoted to her work at the German
Historical Museum as part of a 2016 exhibition titled
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Though her work began with the simple removal of a sticker with a keychain, over the years Mensah-Schramm has adopted numerous methods to excise, cover over, and alter the hate speech she encounters, including nail polish remover, a variety of scrapers, and spray paint.
1812:
1425:, she "refused an offer by the judge to avoid a trial if she donated €500 to non-profit groups, saying it would mean legally admitting she did something wrong." Mensah-Schramm was later acquitted of the charge upon appeal.
1416:, "Over her 30 years of scraping, dissolving and painting over far-right slogans, she estimates she has been assaulted three or four times. But, she said, she has also been hugged by strangers and thanked."
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She also runs educational workshops that teach children and teenagers how to intervene creatively to efface neo-Nazi or other right-wing extremist graffiti when they encounter it.
1476:" she altered the text to read "foreigners to the fun chamber" (in German "fun" rhymes with "gas"). Since 2015, when an influx of refugees aroused anger against German Chancellor
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In
October 2019, Mensah-Schramm was found guilty of property damage and fined after being photographed painting over neo-Nazi slogans and reported to the police. According to
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Mensah-Schramm has been increasingly recognized for her work since beginning to receive global media attention in the early 2000s. She has been awarded the
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1690:. Berlin: Herausgegeben vom Zentrum für Antisemitismusforschung der Technischen Universität Berlin und Deutsches Historisches Museum. 2016.
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among numerous other awards. Her extensive collection of neo-Nazi stickers which she has removed was placed on exhibition at the
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1500:"Instigated: Anti-Semitic and Racist Stickers from 1880 to Today". Her first exhibition of this type of material was at the
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She began doing this work in 1986 after seeing a sticker at a bus stop near her home in Berlin demanding the release of
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Some of her alterations involve humorous wordplay. In one instance where vandals had written "foreigners to the
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1630:"German 'Graffiti Grandma' fined on Yom Kippur for painting over neo-Nazi slogans"
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Angezettelt. Antisemitische und rassistische
Aufkleber von 1880 bis heute
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in Berlin in 2016. As of March 2023, Mensah-Schramm was still active.
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Recipients of the
Federal Order of Merit who returned their decoration
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1539:"How One Berliner Battles Hate: With Conscience and a Sharp Scraper"
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1607:"Anti-Nazi 'Graffiti Grandma' fined after painting over Nazi tag"
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1713:"Als "Sprayer-Oma" gegen Nazi-Parolen: Irmela Mensah-Schramm"
692:
Japanese in the
Chinese resistance to the Empire of Japan
1648:"Oberlandesgericht spricht Aktivistin gegen Rechts frei"
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1667:"Sticking to it: Barbara. and Irmela Mensah-Schramm"
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1737:Cataneo, Emily; Guerin, Nathan (19 August 2016).
1495:Mensah-Schramm at a graffiti workshop in Helsinki
1430:Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
859:Romanian resistance movement during World War II
925:Assembly for the National Liberation of Serbia
1387:teacher known for removing and painting over
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8:
687:Political dissidence in the Empire of Japan
267:Manifesto of the Anti-Fascist Intellectuals
1464:Mensah-Schramm removing graffiti in Berlin
1364:
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775:Polish resistance movement in World War II
132:
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18:
1605:Schumacher, Elizabeth (11 October 2019).
1202:(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
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942:Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
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592:Pope Pius XII and the German Resistance
292:Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias
144:
1484:) to read "Remember! Away with hate" (
916:Anti-fascist Assembly for the National
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930:Anti-Fascist Council for the National
697:Japanese People's Emancipation League
599:National Committee for a Free Germany
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616:Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization
587:Catholic resistance to Nazi Germany
210:Catholic resistance to Nazi Germany
62:American occupation zone in Germany
1559:Ramsel, Yannick (8 January 2021).
1189:Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice
457:People's Liberation Insurgent Army
14:
1711:Theessen, Hilke (30 March 2023).
1008:Anti-fascist research group Kafka
1585:"The Berliner Who Evaded Arrest"
1583:Cataneo, Emily (12 April 2018).
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1289:Anti-Germans (political current)
152:
1739:"'I deface rightwing graffiti'"
1537:McGrane, Sally (27 May 2016).
970:Post–World War II anti-fascism
355:Resistance during World War II
1:
1783:German human rights activists
1768:20th-century German educators
1504:town hall in Berlin in 1995.
1208:Red and anarchist black metal
765:Norwegian resistance movement
709:Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee
677:National Liberation Committee
447:Bulgarian resistance movement
225:Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold
1808:Women human rights activists
1773:20th-century women educators
911:Yugoslav resistance movement
901:Moldovan resistance movement
368:National Liberation Movement
327:Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion
1195:This machine kills fascists
1055:Aktion Kinder des Holocaust
753:Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten
672:Italian resistance movement
582:German resistance to Nazism
543:Francs-Tireurs et Partisans
395:Latvian resistance movement
260:Concentrazione Antifascista
245:1922 Italian general strike
185:Republikanischer Schutzbund
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988:Arsch huh, Zäng ussenander
501:Danish resistance movement
484:Jan Žižka partisan brigade
469:Anti-Fascist Organisation
420:Belgian National Movement
28:
1665:Schweppe, Peter (2019).
1652:Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
1434:German Historical Museum
1399:and throughout Germany.
932:Liberation of Yugoslavia
874:Slovak National Uprising
779:Polish Underground State
200:Antifaschistische Aktion
1778:German graffiti artists
1561:"Die Hakenkreuzjägerin"
918:Liberation of Macedonia
425:Front de l'Indépendance
307:Abraham Lincoln Brigade
1803:Women graffiti artists
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728:Jewish Labor Committee
302:International Brigades
230:Roter Frontkämpferbund
35:Mensah-Schramm in 2013
1793:People from Stuttgart
1494:
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1450:anti-nuclear movement
1381:human rights activist
1377:Irmela Mensah-Schramm
1316:Libertarian socialism
1164:Grândola, Vila Morena
1085:Unite Against Fascism
1045:Antifascistisk Aktion
1018:Armed Forces Movement
821:Narodowe Siły Zbrojne
816:Kampfgruppe Auschwitz
738:Luxembourg resistance
400:Lithuanian resistance
23:Irmela Mensah-Schramm
1393:right-wing extremist
1241:Diversity of tactics
723:during the Holocaust
1743:The Financial Times
1654:. 10 February 2021.
1338:Politics portal
1220:Tactics and methods
1177:Rock Against Racism
1171:Nazi Punks Fuck Off
1150:First they came ...
1075:Anti-Fascist Action
804:Bataliony Chłopskie
390:Estonian resistance
380:Austrian resistance
363:Albanian resistance
317:Dabrowski Battalion
297:Confederal militias
180:Arbeiter-Schutzbund
1636:. 14 October 2019.
1543:The New York Times
1497:
1466:
1306:Left-wing politics
1100:Anti-Racist Action
952:Yugoslav Partisans
937:Croatian Partisans
840:Organizacja Bojowa
415:Belgian Resistance
337:Thälmann Battalion
250:Aventine Secession
99:Anti–Nazi graffiti
16:Anti-Nazi activist
1798:Special educators
1697:978-3-86102-197-1
1379:(born 1945) is a
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1183:Rock gegen Rechts
1122:Music and culture
947:Slovene Partisans
721:Jewish resistance
650:Cretan resistance
567:of the Resistance
511:French Resistance
332:Palafox Battalion
312:British Battalion
284:Spanish Civil War
255:Arditi del Popolo
215:Confessing Church
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88:Years active
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1294:Anti-Japaneseism
1284:Anti-nationalism
1157:Fischia il vento
1129:A las Barricadas
1080:Anti-Nazi League
896:Soviet partisans
869:Slovak partisans
748:Dutch resistance
655:Greek resistance
631:Oster conspiracy
621:Schwarze Kapelle
565:National Council
560:de la RĂ©sistance
452:Fatherland Front
405:Soviet partisans
190:Socialist Action
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124:Criminal penalty
114:Criminal charges
72:Graffiti Grandma
69:Other names
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51:December 5, 1945
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1486:Merke! Hass weg
1482:Merkel muss weg
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1279:Anti-capitalism
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1060:United Kingdom
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833:Ghetto Uprising
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558:Mouvements Unis
548:Libération-Nord
489:Prague uprising
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175:Central Europe
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118:Property damage
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1589:Off Assignment
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1478:Angela Merkel
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1136:¡Ay Carmela!
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108:Anti-fascism
1763:1945 births
1717:Bremen Zwei
1565:Der Spiegel
1474:gas chamber
1410:Rudolf Hess
1301:Anti-racism
1246:Milkshaking
906:Yugoslavia
733:Luxembourg
523:Armée Juive
430:Secret Army
170:Black Lions
1757:Categories
1511:References
1502:Zehlendorf
1440:Background
1391:and other
1226:Black bloc
1143:Bella ciao
1025:Revolution
638:White Rose
220:Iron Front
205:Black Band
77:Occupation
47:1945-12-05
1446:Stuttgart
1311:Anarchism
1023:Carnation
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864:Slovakia
716:partisans
442:Bulgaria
166:Ethiopia
58:Stuttgart
1389:neo-Nazi
1273:See also
1256:Squadism
1070:62 Group
1065:43 Group
978:Germany
854:Romania
845:Zydowski
838:Żydowska
577:Germany
496:Denmark
474:Czechia
410:Belgium
375:Austria
358:Albania
262:Italiana
195:Germany
163:Interwar
138:a series
136:Part of
104:Movement
1456:Methods
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966:Postwar
809:Gwardia
770:Poland
760:Norway
704:Jewish
645:Greece
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282:Spain (
83:teacher
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1030:Spain
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881:Spain
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799:Ludowa
714:Jewish
682:Japan
667:Italy
533:Combat
516:Maquis
464:Burma
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240:Italy
826:Olimp
797:Armia
1692:ISBN
1404:Nazi
998:ANPI
787:Bloc
660:ELAS
604:AKFD
272:TIGR
127:Fine
41:Born
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