Banksy painting

The art of warmongering


The picture is of a Banksy painting, given by the enigmatic stencil artist to the Brian Haw Parliament Square peace campaign. Before the invasion of Iraq the proposed reason for going to war was initially because of September 11th. When it was noted that there was no connection between Iraq and ‘September 11th’, the reason was changed ‘to remove the weapons of mass destruction’. When the invasion was complete and the ‘weapons of mass destruction’ proved to be nonexistent as the evidence had always indicated, the reasons were discreetly altered retrospectively ‘to remove President Saddam Hussein.’ When Saddam Hussein was barbarically executed after a questionable trial, the British public were horrified. The reason then shifted ‘to create a democracy’. When the democratic Iraqi Parliament voted for the British troops to leave by an earlier date than agreed the British Prime minister and Iraq President, the Iraqi Parliamentary decision was disregarded it was reported because of legal niceties. That leaves the search was a reason for the invasion, ongoing. Banksy painting seems to suggest an alternative reason plus consequence, succinctly in one frame. Parliament Square, London, 4th April 2006

Date: 04/04/06

Location: Parliament Square, London

Photographer: Richard Keith Wolff