LONDON/ROME (UK/ITALY) – British street artist Banksy is donating funds for a refugee rescue boat operated by volunteers who help migrants opting for the sea route to reach Europe from Africa.
The vessel is named “Louise Michel” after a French feminist anarchist and it has been operational since last week. On Thursday, its crew rescued 89 migrants, including 14 women and four children from a rubber dinghy.
The migrants are still onboard and are seeking a safe port to disembark.
The former French Navy boat was bought using the proceeds from the sale of Banksy’s artworks. One side of the vessel has the artwork of a girl holding a lifebuoy shaped like a heart.
The artist, who hails from Bristol, keeps his identity a secret and is renowned for his graffiti on political or socially relevant issues and it has appeared in cities around the world. Last year, one of his artworks featuring primates in Westminster sold for more than $12 million at an auction.
The artist’s works have highlighted the misery of migrants and in 2018, he painted murals in Paris carrying the theme of migration.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.