Banksy White Christmas Mural Attacked By Drunk Would-Be Vandal
Guerilla street artist Banksy recently gifted the steel town of Port Talbot, Wales with a provocative White Christmas mural attraction. Fans of the secretive master of graffiti flocked to the Welsh town to catch a glimpse of the new Banksy piece titled “Seasons Greetings.” Apparently, if the popular British artist paints it, they will come, including one that’s been dubbed a “drunk halfwit.” The drunken man reportedly created quite a stir, per BBC News, when he tried to deface the valuable painting.
Banksy took to Instagram three days ago to authenticate that he had created “Season’s Greetings” on a cinder-block garage wall in the town. The anonymous illustrator used the video footage on the social media site to share details of the mural with his many fans around the world. The street painting of the small boy in a knitted cap bundled up against the cold catching snowflakes with his tongue has been viewed by over two million Instagram followers so far.
Soon after “Seasons Greetings” was created, fitted plastic fences were put in place to surround the newly created landmark and protect it from any overzealous bystanders. Security was also assigned to watch over the artwork, and on Saturday a guard had to run off a “drunk halfwit” that attempted to push through the barrier and attack the painting.
The would-be vandal trying to damage the garage wall painting led to the police being called in. According to BBC News, the local community feared Banksy’s latest piece could be targeted by “some idiot who wants to make a name for themselves.” Meanwhile, extra security guards, appointed by the Neath Port Talbot Council, are protecting the precious artwork, while additionally controlling traffic.
Gary Owen posted details about the man attacking the Banksy painting on the Neath Port Talbot Council Facebook page he oversees. He wrote, “Some drunk halfwit has tried to pull the fencing down and the protection glazing at the Banksy artwork.”
“This art is for Port Talbot, Neath and surrounding areas. We do not want it wrecked,” he continued.
Port Talbot is home to one of the largest steelworks operations on the planet, and in the past it has been criticized for its pollution. In July, dark ash reportedly covered cars, houses, and even people’s pets, according to NBC News. The subject of the air pollution may have served as inspiration for Banksy’s “White Christmas” piece because he often calls attention to important local and world issues through his thought-provoking murals.
For instance, if you look closely at “Season’s Greetings,” the snowflakes the boy is catching on his tongue is actually ash produced by a fire in the dumpster, unseen by the youngster, on the other side of the cinder-block wall.
https://www.facebook.com/NeathPortTalbotCBC/photos/basw.Abr_6irzlXzIXEalDP9fq19Zyg3yDsnLxOqKGIXDfPh9x1u1T5EDt2ctnx-dYigaDUyarCs5bnCnznTJ83vU_I6z3M1LVjVivKuzYgnJcUcyM11SR7-6E2w-Xft9t6tm7ELCKXQyqK26kJ8h8H4DvDIW.2158855714134572.2158210850865725.381268478559980.2046965568693538.2158210647532412.1317556008386492/2046965568693538/?type=1&opaqueCursor=AbrMjpQ_yKIP9rabWkeTiqRAPVJuAHQCcMjmY5Cf4_FdK1NqWkOYvdj7VTpUGQl6N1tCtpRKHaHHwFEVoHMqES5OhiuNfDE8-4G7_SnxQTN6MgCTk1eeMfv5YpZjoZqRycfbHsmbBlLVEOkhqFUUyJTd6kCatMKxuE0EVzNxYnWJyEOC5b7z3Zb22_hsElGhxQ6ML1mLplbCjz_-f-a4FwBOelCxTW2UterCSOqCusT283Dk2QVyQvu19pSfltRClMgHICnQ9kf4MGMAeBgUol6NJYRnZCH4RmFm0ABzsxjIdARUQDDof6hBOFRpPY5FWU7dKHd7G0VD_sm7dvdWk2k12pcfCW2_HUePhO4rKT2c-TxyN39qJz0aC3R1sXH9BZngUoddawl6RZ2-tQhVLH6tUe0aGVBbimYCFMs4TbCTsKx59tqLM3527yDobiCNa5WZoJNJbEZ8VDf4Ph6uzd96_DzHmnoygUz17z7RsKiG0ihaQbOt1lqBBJm3LVFoZRohSoQgsVgj97AQQe7b9HiXWmZdVkClLzbaZvxSPR0VWVO30zTp4vL5ZjHqri9GQDxkEE3OPWhd3SUmvhoc3uVmdWtzQJmnGwhsr09StOsrZ2t99noFoB-_8bbs2ybiqociTibTRVebvF1cZ5d3rOPbqmsGWst6uRk0_dXRs8b-7uAQCJF4yf1p9-wwtZGVcH4tmN0K3_-3YXUZwyANDP6N&theater
