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Destroyed or sold? Banksy’s Brexit mural in Dover covered in scaffolding (PHOTOS)
The popular Dover mural by the elusive artist Banksy has been covered in scaffolding and white paint prompting fears it might be destroyed or sold. The street art work may fetch up to £1million by some estimates.
The enormous blue EU flag with one star being chipped off appeared on an old building near Dover ferry terminal in May 2017 amid heated Brexit debates. It is one of the largest ports connecting UK to the continent. Banksy, whose real identity remains unknown, confirmed it was his creation on his Instagram account.
Terrible. It was still on Friday afternoon but noticed there was fenciing round the site. . It’s an act of vandalism and cretinism. I guess it was deliberate. I think mural has been an embarrassment to the Council and they’ve wanted to demolish the buildings it was attached to.
— Sarah Perrin #FBPE (@Sarahjaneperrin) August 25, 2019
When residents of Dover discovered scaffolding covering the painting, some expressed horror and fear that it might be destroyed with one calling it “vandalism of the highest order.”
It’s unclear who ordered the scaffolding up. The building itself was to be destroyed. But when the painting appeared its owners, the Godden family, said they were “exploring options for the retention, removal or sale” of the artwork. The mural may fetch up to £1million, but removing and transporting would be rather complicated.
The Goddens lost a court battle to sell another of Banksy’s murals, the Art Buff, that appeared on their property in Folkestone in 2014. The High Court ruled it was public property.
Also on rt.com New Brexit-themed Banksy shows workman chipping away at EU flag
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