Vandalism

Vandalised facade and bicycle in Hamburg
Progression of vandalism as seen in a men's employee bathroom at a grocery store
Vandalism on a street sign, making it read "i Swim in Poo"

Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.[1]

The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term finds its roots in an Enlightenment view that the Germanic Vandals were a uniquely destructive people as they sacked Rome in 455 AD.

  1. ^ "Oxford English Dictionary". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2015.