What Happened in Broad Daylight in London... A Thief Who Didn't Even Cover His Face Stole a 'Banksy' Artwork

Stop Sign Stolen Within 1 Hour
Suspect's Face Revealed in Residents' Footage

A Banksy artwork was stolen within an hour of being installed on a street in London, UK.

Known as the ‘faceless artist,’ Banksy keeps his identity strictly hidden while leaving socially critical messages through his works around the world. Most of his pieces satirize issues such as war, child poverty, and the environment, and whenever he creates something, it causes significant social impact.

On the 22nd, two men rode bicycles and stole a Banksy artwork.
[Photo by AP / Yonhap News]

According to the British daily The Guardian and others on the 22nd (local time), two men cut out a traffic stop sign artwork installed by Banksy at an intersection in Peckham, southeast London, around 12:30 PM in broad daylight and fled.

The stop sign, a Banksy piece, featured three military drones overlapping the English word ‘STOP.’ The two men reportedly ignored traffic signals while removing the artwork and escaping.

Citizens who witnessed the theft of this piece, interpreted as an anti-war message, expressed sentiments such as “Oh my God” and “This is frustrating.” They also recorded the theft, revealing the thieves’ faces. The Guardian reported that this theft does not appear to be a stunt orchestrated by Banksy’s side.

On the 22nd, a man was removing a Banksy artwork.
[Photo by AP/Yonhap News]

About an hour before the theft, Banksy’s social media Instagram posted a photo showing a street sign at the intersection where the artwork was installed, making the location identifiable. The post, which received hundreds of thousands of likes, included comments such as “It will be stolen soon.”

Immediately after the theft, the Southwark Council, which has jurisdiction over the area, announced that the theft had been reported to the police. The police also confirmed they were aware of the theft.

Jazmin Ali, Deputy Mayor of Southwark, said via Instagram, “It is shameful that Banksy’s installation, which belongs to everyone, was stolen,” adding, “We want to recover it so everyone can enjoy it together.”

Last year, Banksy left artworks across Ukrainian cities continuing to suffer from Russia’s invasion, conveying messages of hope. However, a Ukrainian thief was later caught by police attempting to steal one of Banksy’s murals. The thieves claimed they intended to sell the mural to support the Ukrainian military.

A similar incident occurred in France. In June, a French court ruled that eight people accused of stealing Banksy’s artwork painted on the shutter of the Bataclan theater in Paris in January 2019 could serve their 3 to 4-year prison sentences wearing electronic ankle monitors instead of being incarcerated.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.