Banksy Puts Up Stop Sign, Only For Thieves To Take It & Go In Less Than An Hour
Image via Banksy
Stop, thieves! On Friday, Banksy took to the streets of Peckham, south London, and installed a traffic-stopping artwork—only for it to be whisked away by an opportunistic duo in broad daylight at around 12.30 p.m, less than an hour after its appearance.
The striking piece, a stop sign turned into a thought-provoking commentary about the insidious spread of military attacks with the addition of three drone-like aircraft, was confirmed as authentic through the elusive artist’s social media.
No sooner had the artist’s role in the installation been validated than the piece was unceremoniously removed from its spot at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way, much to the dismay of onlookers.
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Witnesses captured the moment on video as two men dismantled the sign and disappeared with the artwork, leaving behind a flurry of shock and frustration.
Someone already stole the new Banksy stop sign in London (Full Video) pic.twitter.com/ZbJoiwYVCV
— GDTV (@groundeadtv) December 22, 2023
Although the theft bore whiffs of the shredding stunt that Banksy masterminded at a Sotheby’s auction in 2018, it’s been confirmed that the street artist had no part in this takedown, The Guardian reports.
Banksy presented his new anti-war work, but it was immediately stolen
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 23, 2023
The famous street artist depicted flying drones on a road sign "Stop" in London. After he confirmed the authorship, it was immediately stolen.
The thief did not even shy away from the cameras of passers-by -… pic.twitter.com/5Qlo5QKPOv
Local authorities, including Southwark Council’s deputy leader Jasmine Ali, have lamented the loss of what was meant to be a public art piece, urging its return for the community’s benefit.
The Metropolitan police have since been notified and are investigating the incident.
It’s been an odd week for the artist, whose Walled Off Hotel—the hotel with “the worst view in the world,” was closed due to the aggravating circumstances between Palestine and Israel.
Update (December 26): London police have arrested the two culprits in connection with the theft of the artwork. A suspect in his 20s was arrested on Saturday and later released on bail. On Sunday, a man in his 40s was taken into custody on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.
[via The Guardian, BBC, ABC News, images via various sources]
