vandalism

Etymology

From French vandalisme, first used by Henri Grégoire to decry the pillage and destruction of art in the course of the French Revolution, in reference to the East Germanic tribe of the Vandals, which looted Rome in 455.

noun

1. Willful damage to or destruction of any property, such as graffiti or defacement.
   As we turned down the street I was appalled by the vandalism: spray paint and smashed windows that were everywhere.
   Bradford once boasted two stations with overall roofs. The pair were swept away in the 1970s in an act of corporate and civic vandalism. November 2 2022, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 57