Council contractor paints over Black Lives Matter mural after complaint
A council has apologised after a contractor painted over a Black Lives Matter (BLM) mural in Norwich following a complaint about “offensive graffiti”.
The large mural was painted in a city underpass earlier this week in support of the BLM movement following the death of George Floyd in the US.
But on 4 June, the artwork – which read “Norwich against racism. Black Lives Matter. All cops are accountable” – was covered up in black paint, the Eastern Daily Press reported.
Norwich City Council has since admitted that a “terrible misunderstanding” involving its complaint system and a contractor led to the work, located in the Pottergate area of the city, being covered up.
In a statement, a council spokesman said: “Yesterday, a complaint was made about offensive graffiti in the city.
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“It was made online and went straight through an automated system to our contractor who, unfortunately, took action to paint over the mural.
“This has been a terrible misunderstanding and we will urgently work with our contractor to correct it.”
The council said it lit up its city hall in purple on 4 June to show solidarity with the Minneapolis community following Floyd’s death.
The spokesman said: “We do not consider this in any way to be offensive graffiti, we consider it an important work of art.
“We denounce racism in the strongest terms and stand in solidarity with members of the BAME community in Norwich, across the country and globally.
“We would like to commission the artist to reinstate the artwork.”
The artist, who goes by the name Knapple, said she would repaint the mural on 5 June.
She said: “I think it shows a lack of compassion, understanding by the contractors, they didn’t think to query it?”
Floyd, 46, died after a white police officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck in Minneapolis on 25 May, sparking huge protests in the US.
His death also led to large demonstrations in London and Birmingham this week.
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Entities who do this kind of thing are so often allowed to remain anonymous in the media, being described only as “the contractor” or “a company” or “the person responsible”. We want to know who they are!
Black Lives Matter – grabs all headlines and public support. What do the FarRight do to try to distract from Black rights?
On Thursday, June 4th 2020, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka ‘Tommy Robinson’) assaults someone, gets arrested, released on bail. Puts him (and racists) back under media spotlight.
Is anyone stupid enough to think Yaxley-Lennon did not do this deliberately in order to push FarRight higher into media awareness?
Pity the MSM were so thick as to pander to him.
Yaxley-Lennon gets almost as much free publicity as a fart from one of the Royals.
Anonymous complaint about Black Lives Matter graffiti. It gets painted over. On June 4th. The same day ‘Tommy’ manipulates police to give him free publicity. Are we supposed to believe that was coincidence and not a concerted effort by FarRight activists? Duh!
Was there a need to capitalise the letters A…C…A…B?