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209

Banksy could be unmasked as police probe 'criminal damage' over Royal Courts of Justice artwork (www.lbc.co.uk)

submitted 1 week ago by geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml to c/uk_politics@feddit.uk

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The street artist's latest work appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday and was immediately covered up by Metropolitan Police officers.

The force is now investigating the graffiti, which is on an external wall of the Queen's Building, as potential “criminal damage”.

It means Banksy, who has remained anonymous for more than 25 years, could finally be unmasked as he would be required to publicly disclose his name if brought to court.

The artwork, which shows a protester holding a white picket sign spattered with red paint, has now been concealed by large sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers.

Less than 24 hours after it first appeared on the Grade I-listed building, HM Courts and Tribunals (HMCTS) confirmed it would be removed.

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[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Isn’t the painting worth more than the building now if that is a banksy? Would be dumb of them to just wash it off.

[–] addie@feddit.uk 11 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Many of Banksy's works are on random walls somewhere, in which case they would be worth more than the building they're attached to, but the law courts is an enormous grade 1 listed Victorian building in the middle of the Strand in London, filled up with expensive shit. It is worth a few quid by itself.

[–] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

No wonder they tried to remove it, it's on a grade 1 listed building.

Are people thinking that because a wealthy and well-known artist paints on a grade 1 building, we should make an exception for him?

[–] Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works 6 points 6 days ago

I think it's more that people agree with the sentiment depicted and so are seeing the reaction to it as another example of people in power ignoring the situation in Gaza.

That being said, Banksy must have known that it had to be painted over, given the historical value of the building, adding another layer to the artwork itself. It's clever, and now a new piece of it's 150 year history imo

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 1 points 6 days ago

I’m sure the building could use a renovation / restoration…. Could have saved the taxpayers a big chunk of a billion dollars…. Or waist a few thousand dollars of tax payer money destroying it…