Southwark Council in London has urged the police to recover the latest work by British street artist Banksy, which features three drones painted on a STOP traffic sign in South London. Southwark Council Deputy Leader Yasmin Ali stated, "We have requested the police to return the stolen sign," adding, "The artwork should not be removed; we want it back so all residents can enjoy Banksy's remarkable work. We informed the police about the sign's removal so they can assist us in retrieving it."
The Daily Mail reported yesterday that two men removed the "STOP" sign less than an hour after Banksy publicly adopted the artwork. It was noted that the police had not investigated the incident as no one had reported the theft.
Images and videos online showed a man, aided by another, using pliers to break the sign before fleeing in front of onlookers. Banksy shared an image of the artwork on his website and Instagram, where he has 12 million followers. The piece appears to mimic the Palestinian issue, intentionally depicting the drones hovering over the word "STOP," alluding to the calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Banksy is a mysterious artist who has transformed public perception of street art with his satirical works that critique politics, war, capitalism, and moral preaching, garnering attention from journalists, photographers, vandals, art critics, and collectors.
