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Another Banksy Mural Removed, Set To Be Auctioned

History repeats itself in Britain: Another piece of art by the mysterious graffiti artist Banksy has been cut out of a wall in the London Borough of Haringey and is expected to fetch hundreds of thousands at an auction.

As The Independent reports, the last time, the Sincura Group sold a piece of art called Slave Labourfor 750,000 pounds. But that was not without controversy. As we reported, the auction touched off an uproar with Banksy and the community complaining that the art work should stay where it was painted.

What's more, it was a mystery how the auction house had acquired the art work: Was it the artist or owner of the building that was benefiting?

This time around, reports the Haringey Independent, the auction house says the proceeds will go to charity. The art work in question is features two kids looking up a sign that reads "No Ball Games."

The paper reports that, again, residents are not happy:

"Taslima Khatoon, of the Tottenham Art Group, said that while it is sad that mural has been taken, at least the money will be going to a good cause.

"She said: 'Street art is there for the community to appreciate, enjoy and look after.

"'I know the community is very upset and the situation with the Wood Green Banksy will only make this worse.

"'The only positive thing we can take away is that the money will go towards a good cause.'"

The BBC has more from the auction house:

"The group's director Tony Baxter said he had been approached and asked if he could manage the sale of No Ball Games.

"He declined to say who approached him. He said the piece, one of Banksy's largest, had to be removed in three pieces.

"The last section featuring a girl will be removed later, he said."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.

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