On the afternoon of the 22nd (local time), two people carry a STOP sign with three drones, a work by the installation artist Banksy, at an intersection in Packham, south-east London, England. / Yonhap News
An artwork by the ‘faceless artist’ Banksy was stolen from a street in London, England, in broad daylight an hour after it was installed.
According to the British Daily Guardian, at around 12:30pm on the 22nd (local time), at an intersection in Packham, south-east London, two men broke the work of art of a stop sign installed by Banksy with a tool and ran away. This sign, which is the work of Banksy, depicts three military drones overlapping the English word ‘STOP’, which means ‘stop’. This work was interpreted as a message against war. While the people who took the job ignored the traffic signal and ran away, citizens on the spot said, “Oh my God,” and “(the fact of theft) was angry.” The unhindered faces of the robbers were highlighted in the scenes filmed by citizens passing by. The Guardian reported that the theft does not appear to be an act on Banksy’s part.
About an hour before the theft, a photo was posted on Banksy’s social media account, Instagram, showing an intersection sign indicating the installation location directly below the work. The comments on this post, which received hundreds of thousands of likes, were filled with responses such as “It will be stolen soon.”
Immediately after the robbery, the Southwark Regional Office, which has jurisdiction over the area, said the robbery had been reported to the police, and the police also said they were aware of the robbery. Deputy Regional Mayor Jazmin Ali Southwark said on social media Instagram, “It’s a shame that Banksy’s installation, which belongs to everyone (citizens), has been stolen,” and added, “I want it back so everyone can enjoy it together.”
Recently, there has been a sudden increase in robberies and robberies in public places in London. Citing Transport for London (TfL), Euronews reported on the 14th that robberies on the London Underground increased by 83% between April and September compared to the same period last year. During the same period, subway robberies increased by 107%. According to the British Home Office, 250 mobile phones were stolen a day in London last year, or one every six minutes.
The ‘STOP’ sign work posted on faceless installation artist Banksy’s Instagram was stolen within an hour./Banksy Instagram
Thefts of Banksy’s public installations were common. Last June, a French court sentenced eight people to 3 to 4 years in prison and imprisoned them with electronic anklets on charges of stealing an entire Banksy painting from the iron gate of the Bataclan Theater in Paris in January 2019. The judgment was made that he it could be done. The work they brought by Banksy was installed in June 2018 to commemorate the Paris terrorist attacks (November 2015). Some of Banksy’s works left around the city in support of Ukraine were stolen or damaged.
The Guardian said that if Banksy’s work falls into private hands improperly, such as through theft, a certificate of authenticity will be refused.
A worker stands in front of a Banksy installation art installed on the exterior wall of a residential building damaged by a Russian airstrike in the city of Irpin, outside Kiev, Ukraine, on April 19. / Reuters Yonhap News
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