February 28, 2009

Birmingham City Council scrubs Gaza mural

Look at this:



Birmingham City Council has scrubbed it according to this Daily Mail article:
His award-winning graffiti was praised by South Bank Show judges for 'creating messages of peace, unity and hope'.

But it seems police saw Birmingham-born artist Mohammed Ali's work rather differently, after they removed one of his murals, apparently for fear it would trigger racial violence.

Last night, Mr Ali accused officers of 'wanton censorship' after they removed the mural, which protested against Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Police allegedly told the elderly Muslim woman who owned the property where the 'Free Gaza' mural was displayed that it could even trigger a petrol bomb attack on her home, leaving her 'scared stiff', according to her family.

Mr Ali, 30, won the Arts Council's diversity award at the ITV South Bank Show awards last month, and his work has been compared to the paramilitary murals in Northern Ireland, which have become tourist attractions, drawing in coachloads of visitors.
"His work has been compared to the paramilitary murals in Northern Ireland". Ah, now I see.

The fact that this has made it to the Daily Mail is news in itself. The Daily Mail is a conservative, I mean Conservative, newspaper in the UK and usually pro-Israel. Mr Ali has done very well.

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