Tibetan monks and Polish artists unveiled graffiti murals in the Polish capital Warsaw hailing the Dalai Lama on the 76th birthday of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

“We want this graffiti to create a greater awareness of the Tibetan cause among Poles,” organiser Piotr Cykowski of the Other Space Foundation art collective, said.

“Chinese authorities are still violating human rights in Tibet - Tibetans are imprisoned and we must remind the public and above all the politicians who are negotiating with Chinese authorities and businesses,” added Cykowski.

The graffiti murals painted on the side of a ramp overlooking Warsaw’s Tibet roundabout show the face of a Tibetan being beaten and another showing a Chinese dragon attacking a Tibetan girl.

Tibetan monks attending the dedication of the murals inscribed them with the Buddhist “Om Mani Padme Hum” mantra for compassion.

“The Tibet roundabout is a very busy thoroughfare so we hope to draw the attention of many people,” added Hana Umeda, another co-organiser.

“It was created a year ago and originally we wanted it to bear the name ‘Free Tibet’, but the city of Warsaw did not allow the word ‘free’,” she said, explaining the city had given its blessing to the graffiti murals.

“We gave the artists free range on all the surfaces surrounding the roundabout,” Warsaw City spokesman Adam Sobieraj said.

“We’re encouraging graffiti artists to paint legally rather than committing vandalism. It means we’ll spend less money on cleaning up public spaces,” he added.