Guerrilla graffiti artist Banksy is well-known for his unrelenting and sharp cultural critiques—it’s what led to his immense popularity. Unfortunately, his most recent piece was totally misinterpreted and was subsequently destroyed.
A mural that went up in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was actually an anti-racist commentary, portraying several pigeons touting anti-immigration signs and encroaching on a solitary, exotic-looking bird. The signs have sayings like “Migrants Not Welcome,” “Go Back To Africa,” and “Keep Off Our Worms.” But the context is key—Banksy’s work was satirically mokcing these implicitly biased attitudes that many in England currently hold, not supporting them.
However, after the building owners received a sole complaint that the graffiti was racist, they had it scrubbed off the wall.
Banksy
Tendring District Council, who ordered the mural removed, admitted on the BBC Radio 4′s Today that they only got one complaint about the work—by someone who clearly didn’t understand the satirical intentions of the piece.
“The site was inspected by staff who agreed that it could be seen as offensive and it was removed this morning in line with our policy to remove this type of material within 48 hours,” a spokesman told the BBC. “We would obviously welcome an appropriate Banksy original on any of our seafronts and would be delighted if he returned in the future.”
Did the council realize that the artwork was valued at over $600,000? Nope, they had no clue, but insisted even if they knew, they still would’ve had the piece removed.
Esteemed art critic Jonathan Jones from the British paper The Guardian was quick to express utter dismay that the work had been destroyed.
“It must say something about the swirling currents of prejudice, fear and anger in modern Britain that even Banksy cannot predict their next bizarre lurch,” he wrote. “It suggests that in a town where an imminent electoral contest between the Conservatives and Ukip inevitably puts immigration high on the agenda, raw nerves are tingling and fears being stirred up.”
As Jones points out, Clacton-on-Sea is a week away from a looming election that will impact immigration legislation. Hopefully they can gain some much-needed perspective on tolerance in the meantime.
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