- Written by Jacob Evans
- BBC News London
image source, toy ring
The mural was designed by Circle of Toys, a charity that sends toys to children in need.
A peace mural between Israel and Gaza painted on a street in east London has been defaced 16 days after it was unveiled.
The film was created by the charity Circle of Toys, which says it wants to focus on children, who are the “real victims of war”.
The piece, located on Shoreditch’s Old Street, depicts two girls wearing headscarves and waving an Israeli flag, the other waving a Palestinian flag.
The charity said the graffiti showed “the importance of shifting focus away from political debate”.
This picture was released on February 10th.
The company recently established a presence in the Middle East and hopes to encourage people to donate toys to children in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The graffiti reads: “11,500 Palestinian children have been killed since 23 September 2007” and “Your tax dollars are paying for it.” Murder is murder. ”
The spray paint alludes to September 7, 2023, likely referring to October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, which started the war.
In response, Israel launched a major retaliatory attack against Gaza, both on the ground and in the air.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry claims the death toll in Gaza is now over 29,500 and continues to rise.
image source, toy ring
Shoreditch’s Old Street mural was unveiled two weeks ago.
Tensions have been high in London since the conflict began.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously said he is “proud” to support Israel in its “long war” against Hamas, branding it “pure evil”.
In the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, hate crimes against both Muslim and Jewish communities increased significantly across the capital.
In response to news of the vandalism, Circle of Toys founder Arthur Corbin-Powells said: “This reaction is a great way to shift the focus away from political debate and instead focus on the future of our children.” “This further demonstrates its importance.”
The charity added that the mural could be cleaned or repainted and that it was in discussions with the mural artist to decide next steps.