Banksy is back with 9 new fiery murals in Paris
A load of new Banksy murals have popped up in Paris, France, in the past week.
The works — which are Banksy's first in the French capital — have been interpreted as "taking aim at Europe's migrant crisis and capitalism."
Banksy confirmed on his Instagram that he's the artist behind the new works.
One of the murals — of a veiled figure who appears to be mourning — was discovered on a street behind Le Bataclan concert hall, where a terrorist attack killed 89 people on Nov. 13 2015.
Another mural takes its inspiration from a 19th century painting by Jacques-Louis David of French emperor Napoleon wearing a red headscarf as he rode on horseback through the Alps.
Per the BBC, Banksy's interpretation is "seen as an apparent reference to France's 2010 ban on face coverings in public — most notably the niqab worn by Muslim women."
In the Sorbonne University area, another mural is believed to be a "tribute to the May 1968 student uprising."
Another mural — which has since been defaced with blue paint — appeared near a migrant centre which closed down
"Standing by a pile of blankets and a teddy bear, this young black girl painting over a swastika has been seen to reflect the growing numbers of refugees who are sleeping rough along the River Seine," according to the BBC.
Also at the Sorbonne is this mural of a man offering a dog a bone after sawing off its leg. "This is seen as a dig at capitalism and greed in general," says the BBC.
Three more murals featuring rats appeared near the Centre Pompidou, Montmartre, and the Eiffel Tower.
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Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
