Banksy’s new art criticism for refugee crisis

The latest piece in Banksy’s politically motivated art series highlights issues behind the refugee crisis

Banksy has revealed new artwork criticising the use of teargas in the Calais refugee camp. Appearing on the French Embassy in London on Saturday overnight, the mural portrays the young girl from the musical Les Misérables with tears in her eyes as CS gas billows around her.

Dave Stuart, the tour guide for Shoreditch Street Art tours, says the artwork has “all the Banksy hallmarks” – and a little more. The interactive artwork also features a bar code, which links the viewer to an online video of a police raid in Calais if scanned with a phone. The stenciled can of gas at the bottom of the mural refers to the CS gas used by the French police to evict nearly 1,500 refugees from the Calais “Jungle” earlier in January.

Click here to view the mural.

Banksy has criticised Europe’s take to the refugee crisis in a series of politically motivated art. In December, a Banksy artwork of the Apple founder Steve Jobs, the son of Syrian migrants, appeared on the wall of a tunnel in Calais. A statement released with the work said: “We’re often led to believe migration is a drain on the country’s resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. Apple is the world’s most profitable company, it pays over $7bn a year in taxes – and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs.”

The creation of his newest piece, which unsurprisingly has attracted a lot of attention, went unnoticed in the heart of London. Stuart describes the mural as “wonderful piece of art by Banksy” which is “addressing refugees in Calais and our attitudes toward them.”

The artwork has now been taken down.

Listen to the whole comment on Banksy’s art from Dave Stuart below.

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