Riot Police at Blender, Germany 

Blek le Rat created this graffiti of a riot police officer at Blender, Germany, using stencils and spray paint. The riot police officer in this street art embodies the modern soldier, reminiscent of the Roman legionaries of antiquity. The helmet and gas mask—symbols of protection—ironically become dehumanizing, cloaking the individual in anonymity. The baton, a symbol of authority, connects to the scepter wielded by kings or the staff carried by religious figures, yet here, its purpose is to control and suppress. This figure, armed and armored, echoes the same tensions seen in Renaissance depictions of soldiers, reflecting society’s complex relationship with power and authority. The riot police officer’s gear is a powerful reminder of our collective anxieties surrounding social control and unrest. It reflects the cyclical nature of power, protest, and the symbols that come to represent them, evolving through different eras and contexts.