Banksy Mural Attacked By “Drunk Halfwit” in Wales

You’ve gotta be pretty drunk to want to fight a mural, but a man in Wales tried it, he really tried it.

According to the BBC, a security guard had to chase away a man who was attempting to damage a mural by, naturally, Banksy in Port Talbot, Wales on Saturday. Gary Owen, who runs a Facebook page for local news about the town, posted this fantastically dry message about the incident: “Some drunk halfwit has tried to pull the fencing down and the protection glazing at the Banksy artwork tonight, The security guard chased him off and police were called. This art is for Port Talbot, Neath and surrounding areas. We do not want it wrecked. Please Share. Thanks All.”

The artwork in question is entitled Season’s Greetings and appeared on Tuesday. It’s spray-painted on a garage and shows a child playing in falling snow that is actually ash from a nearby fire. Perhaps moved by the piece’s environmental message, the actor and activist Michael Sheen (star of the upcoming Good Omens, Frost in Frost/Nixon, Wesley on 30 Rock) donated money for a protective screen to preserve the painting. Sheen, who grew up near Port Talbot, is also contributing to the cost of having security guards stand watch over the mural.

“It’s amazing and such an honour that Banksy chose to come and paint his latest piece in Port Talbot.” said Mr. Owen to the BBC. He was the one who messaged the elusive artist, asking him to make a piece in the town. “We should be treasuring this privilege and it’s very sad that some people want to spoil it for everyone and give Port Talbot a bad name. I do fear it’ll become a target for some idiot who wants to make a name for themselves – and that’s sad.”

Fortunately, no matter what happens, a high-quality version of the mural is saved forever on Instagram, where Banksy posted it to his official account.

See the Facebook post and a video of the mural, pre-protective screen, here:

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