LONDON: A London authority said on Wednesday it had imposed “temporary measures” around a new mural by British street artist Banksy, after it was defaced within days of appearing.
Islington Council, in north London, said it had erected fencing, camera surveillance and ordered visits by community officers to manage on-lookers to help protect the artwork.
The stencilled mural of a person having spray painted tree foliage onto a white wall behind a leafless tree, appeared on a street near Finsbury Park this week.
The enigmatic artist appeared to confirm his role in the creation, posting before and after pictures of the transformed wall on Instagram on Monday.
But following a flurry of media reports and public attention, it had by early Wednesday been defaced. Images shared on social media showed two streaks of white paint strewn across the bright green artwork.
“It’s sad to see the piece has been defaced,” an Islington Council spokesperson said.
“We are discussing future solutions with the homeowner, to enable everyone to enjoy the artwork while protecting it, the tree, and the surrounding area.
“We’re also in the process of installing a CCTV camera.”
In December, police arrested two men on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after a Banksy artwork was removed from a south London street corner within hours of appearing there.
That installation, a traffic stop sign covered with three aircraft resembling military drones, emerged at an intersection in the Peckham neighborhood.
Witnesses filmed it being removed by a man with bolt cutters, with the help of another man.
Banksy mural to be protected after London paint attack
https://arab.news/nbnr9
Banksy mural to be protected after London paint attack
- The enigmatic artist appeared to confirm his role in the creation
- “It’s sad to see the piece has been defaced,” an Islington Council spokesperson said
Mali, Burkina say restricting entry for US nationals in reciprocal move
- Both countries said they are applying the same measures on American nationals as imposed on them
ABIDJAN: Mali and Burkina Faso have announced travel restrictions on American nationals in a tit-for-tat move after the US included both African countries on a no-entry list.
In statements issued separately by both countries’ foreign ministries and seen Wednesday by AFP, they said they were imposing “equivalent measures” on US citizens, after President Donald Trump expanded a travel ban to nearly 40 countries this month, based solely on nationality.
That list included Syrian citizens, as well as Palestinian Authority passport holders, and nationals of some of Africa’s poorest countries including also Niger, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.
The White House said it was banning foreigners who “intend to threaten” Americans.
Burkina Faso’s foreign ministry said in the statement that it was applying “equivalent visa measures” on Americans, while Mali said it was, “with immediate effect,” applying “the same conditions and requirements on American nationals that the American authorities have imposed on Malian citizens entering the United States.”
It voiced its “regret” that the United States had made “such an important decision without the slightest prior consultation.”
The two sub-Saharan countries, both run by military juntas, are members of a confederation that also includes Niger.
Niger has not officially announced any counter-measures to the US travel ban, but the country’s news agency, citing a diplomatic source, said last week that such measures had been decided.
In his December 17 announcement, Trump also imposed partial travel restrictions on citizens of other African countries including the most populous, Nigeria, as well as Ivory Coast and Senegal, which qualified for the football World Cup to be played next year in the United States as well as Canada and Mexico.
