Banksy is back with a simple yet powerful anti-war message. A bittersweet reminder that Christmas is not a celebration of peace, joy, and overeating for everyone, especially not for the people of Gaza and the West Bank.
Photo: @banksy
As reported by The Guardian on 22 December:
“Banksy artwork stolen less than an hour after unveiling in south London.
Piece showing three aircraft on stop sign in Peckham was confirmed as genuine by the artist on Instagram.
Two men have been filmed taking an artwork created by Banksy from a south London street less than an hour after it was confirmed as a genuine installation. The artist confirmed the piece – a traffic stop sign covered with three aircraft said to resemble military drones – was his in a social media post shortly after midday on Friday.
In a video shared on social media, onlookers watch as two men are seen taking down the sign at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham at about 12.30pm. Witnesses can be heard saying “oh my god” on the soundtrack of the video as one of men takes the stop sign and runs off, with one woman saying: “It makes me so annoyed.”
The deputy leader of Southwark council, Jasmine Ali, said the artwork “should not have been removed”, adding: “We’d like it back so everyone in the community can enjoy Banksy’s brilliant work.” She said the theft had been reported to the police “to help get it back”.
The aircraft on the stop sign resembled those from Banksy’s 2017 artwork Civilian Drone Strike, which depicted a trio of drones bombing a childlike drawing of a house. It was auctioned at Art The Arms Fair and raised £205,000 for Reprieve and Campaign Against Arms Trade.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/dec/22/banksy-artwork-stolen-south-london-peckham