Two arrests have now been made after a road sign featuring work by secret street artist Banksy was photographed being removed from a road junction in south-east London.
The piece of art – a red stop sign with three military drones painted on top – was unveiled on Friday in Commercial Way, Peckham, London. The artwork was authenticated by Banksy with a photo of the piece being uploaded to his social media account.
But a man in his twenties was arrested on Saturday after being photographed removing the sign with boltcutters, and making off with it. A video shot by onlookers shows the man reaching up to cut the sign off its post, while another man holds his bike. The first was arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.
The police confirmed: “We are aware of footage being shared which shows the sign being removed.” The BBC reports that a second man has been arrested on suspicion of the same offences.
The work is being interpreted as Banksy’s call for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza. The artist owns a hotel in Bethlehem, where similar works of art featuring drones have previously appeared.
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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