Art / Street Art
New Banksy attacks use of tear gas in Calais
A new Banksy appeared opposite the French Embassy in London on Sunday morning criticising the alleged use of tear gas by French authorities in refugee camps in Calais.
Thieves have already tried to rip the artwork from the wall in Kensington but so far have been unsuccessful, with builders boarding the piece up on Monday in order to preserve it. Mike Sadler, director of Cheval Property Management Limited, said the firm was “discussing future plans”.
Believed to be the Bristol street artist’s first interactive work depicts the character of Cosette from the novel and musical Les Miserable. The young girl is clouded by gas from a nearby CS can, tears running down her face.
is needed now More than ever
The art work also includes a QR code which ,when scanned, links viewers to a video of police attempting to evict refugees earlier this month with tear gas, rubber bullets and concussion grenades.
Police spokesperson Steve Barbet told the Guardian: “It is not in our interest to use tear gas unless it’s absolutely necessary to restore public order, and it is never used in the camp itself.”
Yet reports have emerged suggesting repeated use of CS gas as French police attempted to distance the ‘Calais Jungle’ migrant camp from the motorway.
This is not Banksy’s first political statement on the refugee crisis. In December a piece depicting Steve Jobs, founder of Apple and himself the son of a Syrian refugee appeared in Calais. In a rare statement Banksy said: “Apple is the world’s most profitable company… and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs.”
Closer to home, Banksy’s Dismaland in Weston-super-Mare featured an installation of boats filled with the bodies of drowned refugees. Since the ‘bemusement’ park’s closure, left over infrastructure has been shipped over to France to help build emergency housing for the migrants.
Read more: Dismaland opens its doors
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
