Graffiti attack on Roßwein town hall: What's behind Free Maja?

Graffiti attack on Roßwein town hall: What's behind Free Maja?

An incident occurred in Roßwein that moved the minds of the citizens. On June 27th, the entrance area of ​​the town hall was daubed with eye-catching graffiti. The “Free Maja” lettering is 3.5 meters long and 0.5 meters high. According to sächsische.de this is the first incident of this kind in the last 20 years. Mayor Hubert Paßehr (CDU) immediately announced a reward of 500 euros for information on identifying the perpetrator or perpetrators.

It seems clear that the graffiti's message is aimed at Maja T., who has been held on a hunger strike since her extradition to Hungary last year. She is suspected of being involved in attacks on right-wing extremist sympathizers. Tagesschau reports about the serious allegations that Maja T. has received, as well as about her ongoing pre-trial detention, which has become a reality for her since February 2025.

The background to Maja T.

Maja T. has had to stand trial since February 2025 and is accused of having committed violent attacks on participants in the right-wing extremist “Day of Honor” in February 2023. Batons and pepper spray were used in these attacks, causing serious injuries to the victims. In a voice message, Maja T. announced that she had chosen the hunger strike as a form of protest against her prison conditions. She expresses this as intolerable and speaks of isolation and unsanitary conditions, including bed bugs and cockroaches in her cell.

Matters took a worrying turn when the Budapest court postponed the decision to convert her pre-trial detention to house arrest until June 20. Maja T. herself sharply criticizes the supply situation in prison and had already had to go into hiding for two years before she was caught in December 2023.

Graffiti in the field of tension between art and vandalism

The incident in Roßwein sheds light on the complex issue of graffiti, which is controversial in society. Whether art or vandalism – this question was also vividly addressed in a new special exhibition in the Steintormuseum. According to Nordkurier, the exhibition includes photographs of graffiti in the Anklam urban area and is intended to attract young people in particular to the museum. The works on display, including calligraphy and images, are inspired by historical motifs and reflect the wide range of graffiti culture.

Once again it shows that graffiti is viewed as a form of communication - it often helps to express protest and discussion and to deal with current political issues. In a cityscape that includes both legal and illegal graffiti, the concept of art is multifaceted and constantly changing.

The events in Roßwein and the ongoing legal disputes surrounding Maja T. will certainly further fuel the debate about graffiti as a social phenomenon. Where art meets political messages, the debate remains exciting.