Related Post
A hero bystander who tried to stop a group making away with a Banksy piece only hours after it was placed in Peckham was kicked, he claims.
The howling lone wolf on a satellite was only on the roof a few hours before it was nabbed – but the artist’s followers are debating whether it could be another stunt by Banksy.
The striking image of the canine howling into the night sky formed the latest addition to the Bristol-based street artist’s growing animal-themed collection across London.
Tom Kellow, who lives in Peckham, tried to intercept the group after he had been to see the artwork on Rye Road during his break.
But during the tussle, he alleges one of the men kicked him and attempted to fling his phone on a roof.
Hero passer-by Tom Fellow attempted to confront the group after they took the Banksy piece in Peckham
The artwork showing the silhouette of a wolf howling appeared on a rooftop in Peckham
The piece was taken only hours after it had been revealed, however some fans speculate it could by a stunt by the artist
‘I was walking down around 1pm and saw three guys nicking it,’ Tom said.
‘They had a ladder. There was one guy on the roof and the other two were watching the ladder.
‘They saw me filming and it got a bit tetchy. One gave me a kick in the side and another tried to throw my phone on the roof.
‘Luckily it hit a tree and came back down again. I told a police officer in the area about it.’
He added: ‘It’s a great shame we can’t have nice things and it’s a shame it couldn’t have lasted more than an hour.’
Banksy had only unveiled the artwork on Instagram at 1pm today, but images show it had been stolen from its location shortly after.
A group of hooded men wearing facemasks and gloves were spotted scaling the building, removing the satellite dish, and carrying it away.
Placed in Rye Lane, Peckham, the satellite dish had been placed atop what used to be a Betfred betting shop.
‘They saw me filming and it got a bit tetchy. One gave me a kick in the side and another tried to throw my phone on the roof,’ Tom said
The local said it was ‘a great shame we can’t have nice things’ and that the piece didn’t last more than an hour
One of the men throwing Tom’s phone in the air next red Ford
Tom was filming the group who had taken the Banksy art work before they allegedly kicked him and threw his phone
A man – who appears to be part of the group who stole the art – carrying a ladder as the two men tussle in Peckham
A man seen walking off with the Banksy artwork which had just been unveiled this afternoon
Another man is spotted helping to carry down the satellite dish. The back of his t-shirt spells the website to an events company
Another masked man seen dislodging the satellite dish while wearing blue latex gloves
The group set up a ladder at the scene and worked together to dismantle and apparently steal the new artwork
But this afternoon, the hooded group were seen placing a ladder against the boarded up shop and climbing up to dismantle the artwork.
One of the men helping to supposedly steal the mural wore a t-shirt which seemed to spell the website of an events company – though it is not known whether he has any links to the brand.
The Banksy press team told the BBC they ‘believed’ the piece had been stolen.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘We were called to reports of a stolen satellite dish containing artwork at 1.52pm on Thursday, 8 August in Rye Lane, Peckham.
‘There have been no arrests. Inquiries continue.’
This comes after another Banksy was supposedly stolen from a south London Street last December.
Only hours after it was revealed the piece on the stop sign in Peckham was genuine, locals descended on the site taking pictures on their phones.
But the peaceful scene was soon shattered by the arrival of two men, one of whom balanced precariously on an Lime e-bike while hurriedly hacking the sign down with bolt cutters.
The man removing the sign, who was wearing a red jacket, fled with it after just 60 seconds after onlookers shouted at him to stop. He left the bolt cutters behind.
The satellite dish was reportedly ‘taken’ shortly after the first piece of graffiti in the series was revealed.
Banksy shared it to his Instagram account on Monday, showing a goat teetering on a ledge with rocks falling down below it – just above where a CCTV camera is pointed.
It was painted near Kew Bridge, southwest London, on the wall of engineering firm Boss & Co, which builds exclusive guns.
On Tuesday, the artist added another design to the collection: silhouettes of two elephants with their trunks stretched toward each other on the side of a building near Chelsea.
This was followed by a trio of monkeys looking as though they were swinging from underneath a bridge over Brick Lane, near a vintage clothing shop and a coffee house in the popular East London market street – not far from Shoreditch High Street.
The primates have been associated with the Japanese proverb ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’. But in Banksy’s work the monkeys are not covering their eyes, ears or mouths.
The artworks were posted on Banksy’s Instagram with no caption, throwing fans into a frenzy as they tried to decipher the complex meaning behind the murals for themselves.
The man, dressed in blue joggers and a black hoodie, pictured climbing up the ladder before supposedly stealing the artwork
The man scrambling up the side of the building to get the Banksy’s piece of art within minutes of it being posted
A man wearing a black t-shirt and shorts making his way down the street with the piece of art
The artwork of the howling wolf being carried along the street by one of the individuals involved as a co-conspirator follows with a ladder
A man wearing light blue shorts at the end of the high street in Peckham with the stolen piece of art
A man was seen taking down the sign using a pair of bolt cutters – balancing on an e-bike to allow him to reach. The rider of the e-bike was an onlooker and didn’t carry out the theft in December
The extraordinary scenes unfolded at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham at about 12.30pm on December 22
The man, dressed in a red jacket and apparently wearing work gear, pulled the sign down before making off with it
Followers asked whether the increasing number of animals in each mural was of significance, with many expecting today’s unveiling to reveal four animals.
In a twist, followers were surprised yet fascinated to see a lone wolf.
One commented: ‘The Wolf of London. You never cease to impress!’
Another dubbed him ‘The real David Attenbanksy’ – in reference to his apparent new-found interest in the animal kingdom.
One Instagram user speculated: ‘I see this as a critique on the wild and chaotic behaviour currently erupting across the UK. Far right thugs on the prowl.’
It comes after followers came up with theories as to the meaning behind other animal murals.
While some fans linked the paintings to the war on Gaza, others believed it is to do with misinformation and the far-right protests of the past week.
But one thing that is certain is that Banksy’s works are almost always trying to make a political point.
On the painting of the goat, one follower theorized earlier this week it to be about the conflict in Palestine.
:’My interpretation, it may be wrong. The endangered Palestinian Mountain Gazelle is the national animal of Palestine,’ they said.
‘The world is watching whilst it teeters on the edge. Limited time to save it.’
Banksy posted artwork of a goat perched on top of a wall near Kew Bridge in Richmond on Monday
Employees move a CCTV camera back to its original position after Banksy moved it
A Banksy mural on Kew Bridge a stone’s throw away from the Goat mural
A member of the public takes a photo of Banksy’s new piece of artwork near Kew Bridge
Another new artwork, confirmed to be by Banksy, was unveiled on a wall of a house in Chelsea, London this week
A third painting, which shows three monkeys swinging from a railway bridge, popped up in Brick Lane
People gathering to take selfies in front of one of Banksy’s most recent artworks on August 7
Footage captured by CCTV showed a cherry picker van with two men dressed in orange high-vis clothing and helmets – one of whom is believed to be Banksy – in Kew Bridge on Monday
Another agreed, adding: ‘All whilst the world looks on via the media camera at the falling debris and sometimes forgetting the actual gazelle/Palestinian living on Ltd time.’
Many pointed to the fact the CCTV camera has been placed facing the falling rocks as opposed to the goat.
They believe it could symbolise the need for context on social media and the news – linking to the riots which broke out as a result of misinformation in the wake of the Southport knife attacks.
One said: ‘The camera is looking at the falling rocks, rather than what’s causing them to fall.
‘Goats are adapted to climbing on narrow ledges, so it isn’t in danger, but the camera’s view doesn’t give the full picture.
‘So I’d guess that it’s referencing the need to understand that news needs context before forming an opinion.’
Another interjected: ‘In light of the recent riots in the UK, a Banksy silhouette of a goat perched on the edge, watched by a CCTV camera, takes on profound significance.
‘The goat represents the rebellious spirit of those feeling marginalised or oppressed, fighting against perceived injustices and systemic issues.
‘It also symbolises the scapegoating of certain groups during times of social unrest.
‘The CCTV camera highlights the increased surveillance and control measures implemented by the state in response to the riots.
‘It symbolises the government’s attempt to maintain order and assert authority, reflecting the tension between state power and civil liberties.
‘The goat’s precarious position on the edge mirrors the fragile state of UK society, teetering on the brink of chaos due to the recent disturbances.
A blow-up small boat surfed the crowd during the performance by Idles at Glastonbury
Rock band Idles led the Glastonbury crowd in chanting ‘f*** the king’ as the festival turned political on June 28
‘Overall, the artwork critiques the current social and political climate in the UK.’
The work follows a migrant boat created by Banksy, which was crowd surfed at Glastonbury Festival in June, during performances by Bristol indie punk band Idles.
The graffiti artist previously funded a migrant rescue ship, which was impounded in Italy last year after responding to distress calls in the Mediterranean.
The MV Louise Michel was seized on the island of Lampedusa after Italy’s coast guard said the boat had disobeyed its instructions to head to Sicily.
Banksy was involved in rescuing migrants making crossings as early as September 2019, when he emailed German born activist Pia Klemp who has captained a number of NGO rescue ships.
The blow up migrant boat was described by then-home secretary James Cleverly as ‘trivialising’ small boats crossings and ‘vile’, but the artist responded saying his reaction was a ‘a bit over the top’.
In March, the artist created a tree mural in north London, which saw a tree cut back with green paint sprayed behind it to give the impression of foliage.
In December the artist posted to his social media to confirm that a traffic stop sign in Peckham, covered with three aircraft said to resemble military drones, had been created by him.
Less than an hour after it was confirmed as a genuine installation witnesses saw the artwork being removed by a man with bolt cutters.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel
Source link
