WORLD
Banksy's new artwork criticizes use of teargas in Calais refugee camp
Baku, January 26, AZERTAC
A new artwork by Banksy criticizing the use of teargas in the “Jungle” refugee camp in Calais has appeared on the French embassy in London, according to the Guardian.
The artwork, which depicts a young girl from the film and musical Les Misérables with tears in her eyes as CS gas billows towards her, appeared overnight on Saturday.
In a first for the elusive graffiti artist, the artwork is interactive and includes a stenciled QR code beneath. If viewers hold their phone over the code, it links them to an online video of a police raid on the camps on 5 January.
The work is the latest in a series of pieces by the graffiti artist criticizing Europe’s handling of the ongoing refugee crisis. It is a direct comment on the recent attempts by French authorities to bulldoze part of the camp in Calais – which has now been deemed unsafe – and evict about 1,500 refugees.
In January, a Banksy mural depicting the Apple founder Steve Jobs, who was the son of Syrian migrants, appeared on the wall of a tunnel in the refugee camp in Calais. In a short statement accompanying the work, Banksy emphasized that Apple, one of the most profitable companies in the world, only existed because “they allowed in a young man from Homs”.