A suspected new Banksy has been sighted on a wall in Marble Arch, showing support for the non-violent protest group Extinction Rebellion.
The graffiti, if it can be rightfully called that, depicts a small girl holding a sign bearing the Extinction Rebellion logo, next to the text “From this moment despair ends and tactics begin”.
It is unsurprising that this new street art has been attributed to the elusive mega-talent Banksy, given that it follows his typical stencil styling, as well as grappling with a political message; a stand against government inaction surrounding climate change.
Extinction Rebellion has protested for ten days straight in London, camping overnight at various sites including Marble Arch, the site of the new artwork. Their protest, only ending yesterday after nearly 1100 arrests, was called by the group to highlight the severity of the climate change crisis to the government.
They are calling for a reduction in carbon emissions and want to aim to be a zero emission zone by 2025. They have been heavily criticised for this, and branded an unrealistic group with no real solutions.
This however did not stop the protesters, who only grew in numbers and confidence. Their action was brought to an end, or what activists are calling a “pause”. It has now emerged they want to go into talks regarding their requests.
One thing seems to be clear for now, and that is Banksy is on their side. Known for his topical artwork, this piece seems to fit the trend. He has yet to come out about this discovery, but art fans and activists remain glued to his instagram account (@banksy) for any signs.
