Reports claim that the new Banksy mural has been covered up ‘in order to preserve it’. The graffiti, which recreates the iconic ‘Cosette’ poster from the Les Misérables musical but with tears in her eyes and CS gas pluming up from a canister beneath her, appeared near the French embassy early on Sunday morning…an evident condemnation of the apparent use of teargas on refugees in the Calais “Jungle” camp, and not Banksy’s first mural to criticise Europe’s approach to the refugee crisis.
It was also the first time that Banksy included a QR code. When scanned with a mobile phone, it linked to a video showing teargas and rubber bullets being used during a raid at the camp on 5 January.
A gang armed with screwdrivers had been attempting to steal the new artwork last night by prising it off the wall but had already left (empty handed) when the police turned up. And it now transpires that the owner of the building has boarded it up. Here are some photos of it…because we doubt it’ll get un-boarded anytime soon.
A photo posted by Thea Baker (@theabakerfitness) on
Crying Cosette… #Banksy#CalaisJungle#RefugeesWelcome#JeSuisRefugee
A photo posted by Rags Martel (@ragsmartel) on
Pretty amazing, huh?
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