A Welsh man who tried to spray white paint on a work by mysterious street artist Banksy has been given a suspended prison sentence.
The background to the attempted act is said to have been the anger that the 500,000 pound (about 620,000 francs) graffito should not be offered in Wales as planned, but rather brought to England.
As reported by the BBC, the 42-year-old attempted to break into a building in Port Talbot last November. He is said to have called: “It’s ours. Take it away, the rich man owns it.” He has now been given a 14-month suspended prison sentence for burglary and property damage. In addition, he must pay the equivalent of 1,200 francs in damages and wear an electronic ankle bracelet for twelve weeks.
Richter sees man’s reaction ‘strange’
However, the judge showed a partial understanding of the man’s motives. “It may not have been in Banksy’s view that the board should leave Port Talbot,” the judge said, according to a BBC report on Tuesday. He is also aware that the decision to remove it has caused resentment. However, he described the man’s reaction to the destruction of the plant as “strange”.
The 2018 work, Greetings of the Season, appeared on a garage wall in the industrial city of Port Talbot. The photo shows a little boy in winter clothes picking up the supposed snow with his tongue – near the corner, there is a burning trash can revealing snow in the form of ash particles. The garage owner sold the business to a Banksy fan from London. He initially wanted to display it permanently in Port Talbot, but eventually decided differently. (SDA)
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