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Banksy's tree mural has been defaced after just three days - with vandals hurling white paint across the new north London artwork before a local authority erected a metal security fence.
The damage was revealed this morning after the street artist earlier confirmed he was behind a mural which appeared overnight on the side of a block in Islington.
The artwork in Finsbury Park shows green paint behind a bare tree to resemble foliage, with a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose depicted next to it.
Locals said they felt 'proud and delighted' at the thought of the anonymous artist choosing their street for his latest mural when it emerged- though there were concerns their rents could now 'skyrocket'.
BBC London journalist Anna O'Neill posted this morning on X, formerly Twitter, pictures of the vandalism to the artwork as well as a newly-installed protective fence.
The new Banksy artwork in north London has been defaced just three days after appearing
A protective fence has been erected in front of the painting in Finsbury Park, north London
The Banksy artwork was revealed this week on the side of a building in Hornsey Road
She wrote: 'This is why we can't have nice things. #Banksy mural defaced after just 3 days.'
She followed up with an image of a fence which has now been added at the site in Hornsey Road, Finsbury Park.
Trainee clinical psychologist Amy, who lives in the apartment block, also tweeted a picture of the damage.
She wrote: 'Someone's vandalised the Banksy overnight. Gutted. Why can't people let a community be happy without trying to ruin it?'
MailOnline asked Islington Council yesterday whether any security measures for the installation were likely, but was told there were no planned updates.
Banksy fan and photographer Matt Adamiak, 42, took pictures of the artwork this morning.
Matt, from Southampton, said: 'I've always been a Banksy fan so when I saw he'd been out and about I headed up the motorway this morning to have a look.
'I got there at 6am this morning as it was getting light, there was hardly anyone around - then I noticed someone had thrown white paint or something over it.
'It's massively noticeable in person - looking at the way it's been thrown it looks like someone's climbed over the fence to throw it. It's difficult to tell how they've done it but they've definitely ruined it.
'It's all been cordoned off so people can't get in there, but it looks like someone had climbed over - maybe it was someone throwing paint over it to ruin it just because they can, it's difficult to say.'
Islington Council said on Tuesday: 'Culture is a powerful way to tell meaningful stories and we welcome this artwork in Islington, a borough that celebrates creativity.
'This fantastic piece from Banksy has sparked a real buzz across Islington and beyond, and we very much want the artwork to stay for people to enjoy. We want to find more ways that we can tell important stories through art and culture.'
The Banksy painting was put up behind a tree which has been decaying for years
Passers-by have flocked to see the daubing - and were also today looking at the vandal damage
James Roebuck, 26, who lives four doors away from the defaced Banksy, said today: 'It is a bit of a shame - it was nice when it went up.
'But close up it was a bit ugly. It’s only nice when you stand at a distance and have the tree in the ideal position, and the vandalism has just made it even messier.
'Now I think the council will paint over it after this, to be honest.
'I think the vandalism is by a resident - the area has become gentrified and the Banksy just seemed to be the cherry on top.”
Self-employed Welsh artist Daniel Lloyd-Morgan, 60, who has been sketching the installation since it appeared on Sunday said: 'I don’t think the white paint detracts from it really.
'They have obviously not tried very hard to destroy it - and they’ve chosen the side that the figure is not on - because the girl is Banksy’s calling call.
'It’s another talking point, isn't it? It's another thing to discuss - that someone tried to deface it but they didn't manage to do it successfully. It just adds to the mystery a little bit.
'I did see some council workers earlier talking about putting up Perspex screens which seems like something they should do after this.'
Canadian Tara Connelly, 27, and American Ashley King, 30, travelled across London to visit the Islington artwork from their Southwark homes.
Ashley said: 'The people in the area don't seem have the best sentiment towards the art - I’ve heard some them just going like, "Now my rent is going to go up", so it really could be someone who is disgruntled in the area.'
Education worker Tara added: “I think it's a really cool piece of art still. His work was originally political, right? And maybe it's another person who is getting political too.
“It could be more of a conversation rather than a vandal and it’s cool if it’s someone trying to add to it.
“They just need to leave it now, though - they shouldn’t take it down. It’s the artist’s choice.'
The artwork shows a splattering of green which has been painted behind a bare tree to look like foliage, with a stencil of a person holding what appears to be a pressure hose next to it
The bare wall pictured one year ago on March 2023 showing no greenery
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was 'delighted' to see the artwork in his Islington North constituency
Patrick Volcker, 47, flew from Germany to see the mural in person but was disappointed that the artwork had already been defaced.
He said: ;I was too late because it was ruined last night. It's sad it happened so fast, but it's okay because Banksy's art pieces are always in a temporary style.
'It's not really ruined, let's just say "covered".'
Gil Ben-ari, 80, travelled from Coulsdon, south London, to see the artwork and was also saddened that it had been defaced so soon.
When asked about the addition of the white paint, Mr Ben-ari said: 'There's only one way to describe it: wanton vandalism.'
Islington Council said it had arranged 'temporary measures' including installing fencing and regular visits from Park Patrol officers to manage crowds and help protect the artwork.
Despite the new white paint, visitors have continued to flock to see the mural, with viewers crowding the pavement and climbing on nearby walls to take photographs and selfies with the piece.
Claire Carruthers, 31, and from Edinburgh, seized the opportunity to see artwork in person while on holiday in London and described the white paint as 'definitely unnecessary' but that it did not detract from the message behind the piece.
Ms Carruthers said: 'It's a piece of artwork symbolising that we need greenery in our life, we need nature and we need to do more to save our planet.'
Will Swann, 72, travelled more than 50 miles from Buckinghamshire to see the mural and agreed that while the white paint was 'regrettable', it did not ruin the artwork.
Mr Swann said: 'I don't think it ruins it at all. You can have exactly the same conversations about it and it hasn't deterred all these people from coming along.
'It's no more ruined it than the fence around it. It's the equivalent of the plate glass in front of the Mona Lisa.'
Banksy confirmed the painting was his work with a post on Instagram on Monday morning
The artwork has already been gathering Banksy fans to the location on Hornsey Road in north London as they inspect it to see if it could be the real thing
An Islington Council spokesperson said: 'It's sad to see the piece has been defaced.
'We are discussing future solutions with the homeowner, to enable everyone to enjoy the artwork while protecting it, the tree, and the surrounding area. We're also in the process of installing a CCTV camera.'
Banksy, who has 12.3million Instagram followers, confirms art is his by posting a picture - and provided this for the Finsbury Park painting at 11.13am on Monday.
Prior to the official announcement, the artwork had already been gathering fans at the site on Hornsey Road in north London.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was 'delighted' to see the artwork in his Islington North constituency.
Apartment block resident Amy earlier told MailOnline that her housemates and their boyfriends were none the wiser when the green paint was splattered.
She said: 'Our landlord has the whole building and we had a bit of banter with him about it last night and he said, "Don't worry, it's fine".
'I think it's great for community. This road is a bit of a weird in-between area between Archway and Finsbury Park. It's like it's been fun to be part of our building and it's so nice to see how many people are here.'
Estate agent Alex Georgiou, who bought the property in 2012 for £400,000 according to land registry records, looked to allay neighbours' fears by claiming he wouldn't be charging more off the back of the area's sudden fame.
However, he welcomed interest from potential buyers, as he bullishly told MailOnline: 'You know what, if somebody offered me millions and they can have the building and take the flats with it. Feel free.'
It is understood that the cherry tree in front of the artwork is about 40 to 50 years old and is in declining health.
The council's tree service had been maintaining it for some time to help prolong its lifespan and is attempting to keep the decaying tree alive.
Visitors have continued to flock to see the mural, with viewers crowding the pavement and climbing on nearby walls to take photographs and selfies with the artwork
One person was today seen tying green cans to the tree in front of the painting
Islington Council has described the white paint vandalism as 'sad'
Banksy's eye for detail was on display as the colour of the paint matches the one used for street signs by Islington Council
The last time Banksy's art was revealed in London, it ended in scandal.
Two men were arrested and bailed for allegedly using bolt cutters to steal the artwork which pictured a stop sign featuring three military drones.
Once Banksy announced on social media the artwork belonged to him in an Instagram post shortly after midday on December 23, two men allegedly appeared at the scene and cut down the artwork before running off.
Police have yet to recover the piece of art, but one gallery owner told the BBC at the time it could be worth up to £500,000.