A man has been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after a road sign featuring work by the elusive street artist Banksy was removed in south London, the Metropolitan Police has said.
The artwork, a red stop sign with three military drones on it, was unveiled on the corner of Commercial Way, Peckham, south-east London, on Friday. However, it was taken by a man with bolt cutters within an hour as witnesses took photos.
Police investigations are ongoing and the man remains in custody. A new traffic sign has been put up to avoid endangering road users.
“We are aware of footage being shared which shows the sign being removed,” the force said, adding that anyone with information about the incident or the whereabouts of the sign should call police.
The sign was removed within an hour of Banksy confirming its authenticity by posting a photo to his Instagram account. In a video that appeared on social media, one man, carrying a banana, held a Lime hire bike steady for another, who reached up and cut the artwork free using bolt cutters. Wrenching it off the post, he then ran down the street and out of sight.
On Saturday afternoon, a local street artist placed her own reproduction of the missing Banksy artwork at the location, stating that art is for everyone.
Banksy’s Instagram followers widely interpreted his latest work as calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after he confirmed its authenticity on social media. Similar drone art appeared at Banksy’s Walled Off hotel in Bethlehem in 2017, which he said had “the worst view of any hotel in the world,” referencing Israel’s controversial wall in the West Bank.
After the sign was removed, Southwark Council’s deputy leader Jasmine Ali confirmed the incident had been reported to the police. She expressed confidence that they would get it back.
“We are not just talking about a street sign here, it is a work of art which was put there for the community. It is street art and it is for the people,” she said.