After an attack on the policestation Davidwache the Police of Hamburg declared wide parts of Hamburg as a Danger Zone (Gefahrengebiet). They soon had to admit that the attack was made up but the Danger Zone was installed and kept up running.

In the Danger Zone basic human rights are ignored. Without naming a reason cops are allowed to stop you, search you, identify you and detain you to a police station. As a kind of Protest people started walking through the Danger Zone equipped with a multitude of unnecessary things in there bags and pockets. One of the searches were filmed by the ARD (German Broadcast Network) and presented to the public.

In this Video a young male had a toilet brush in his pants which was confiscated. This video spread through all channels (Twitter, Facebook, News, …). From this night on the toilet brush was the main symbol of resistance in the danger zone. Shops started to put them in the windows as a sign of support, all the people protesting against the Danger Zone had at least one toilet brush with them – from one day to another the streets were filled with toilet brushes.

This phenomenon was soon recognized by the media. They filled their reports of the danger zone with pictures and videos of toilet brushes use as a sign of protest. Soon a deluge of streetart-pictures and various created pictures containing toilet brushes occured.

More Informations / engl. Sources:

• Hamburg protesters breach 'danger zones'
• Germany's 'toilet brush revolution'
• Toilet brush becomes city protest symbol