Banksy's Statement About White Privilege Gets Over 2 Million Likes In 2 Days

The iconic anonymous artist and avid social critic Banksy is back with a new piece of art in the wake of George Floyd's murder. Along with the artwork, which features a burning American flag lit by a candle, came a powerful message. “People of colour are being failed by the system. The white system,” the elusive street artist stated in an Instagram post. It has now been liked more than 2.4 million times.

It’s not the first time that Banksy has made a statement with his art. Previously, he paid a tribute to the front-line health workers battling the coronavirus pandemic. Read about the piece called “Game Changer” in our previous post right here. Before that, the Bristol-born artist revealed a funky take on the lockdown in this piece of a rat-infested bathroom.

More info: Instagram | banksy.co.uk

A Black Lives Matter protest took over the streets of Bristol, England on Sunday near where Banksy is presumed to have been born. Local police estimated that 10,000 protesters participated.

During the protest, demonstrators pulled down a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston. They tied the bronze statue with rope before taking it down as the crowd cheered.

According to local police, “There was a small group of people who clearly committed an act of criminal damage in pulling down a statue near Bristol Harbourside.” The police are said to have started an investigation into the matter.

Mr. Floyd died as a result of a white police officer holding him down by pressing his knee into his neck in Minneapolis on 25 May. The incident sparked the George Floyd protests that we’re now seeing all over the world.