Officers from the Local Police of La Oliva intervened in the town of Lajares after receiving a citizen's report about a person spray-painting one of the few remaining old stone houses in the area, representative of the traditional architecture of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Upon arrival, officers observed an individual placing several spray paint cans into a vehicle. The colors of the aerosols matched those used in the mural recently created on the old building. The police proceeded to identify the individual and informed them about the potential administrative and even criminal liabilities associated with such actions, especially when they affect constructions cataloged or protected for their historical or cultural interest.
The spray cans, rollers, and paint cans used for the vandalism were seized. The municipality of La Oliva has a Heritage Catalog, a cultural protection document also held by Puerto del Rosario and Betancuria in Fuerteventura.
This incident is reminiscent of a similar act of vandalism that occurred on April 25, 2022, when the defensive tower of El Tostón, a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC) from the 18th century located in El Cotillo, was found with graffiti on its stones. On that occasion, the author of the graffiti was never identified.
