Select a language
Officials in the town of Clacton-on-Sea in south-east England have destroyed a satirical mural by street artist Banksy ahead of a 9 October by-election "triggered by the decision of local Conservative MP, Douglas Carswell, to defect to the the [Eurosceptic and anti-immigration] UK Independence Party (Ukip)", writes The Guardian.
The artwork showed a group of grey pigeons holding signs reading “migrants not welcome” and “go back to Africa” in the direction of a smaller, colourful bird. Town officials said they painted over the work after receiving a sole complaint it was “offensive and racist”.
For Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones, the incident reflects the climate ahead of the by-election —
an imminent electoral contest between the Conservatives and Ukip inevitably puts immigration high on the agenda […]. If this picture scared anyone it must be because the pigeons’ views are just too close to real opinions in the air – the satire is so accurate that it can be mistaken for reality.
Receive the best of the independent European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday
Do you like our work?
Help multilingual European journalism to thrive, without ads or paywalls. Your one-off or regular support will keep our newsroom independent. Thank you!
