Redbridge: Artists defend Palestine mural amid controversy

An art collective has defended a tribute mural to Palestinian journalists amid calls for its removal.

Three artists from Creative Debuts painted the mural in Ilford, east London, in March.

It depicts four reporters and photographers standing in front of a pile of rubble in Gaza, based on a photograph taken by photographer Suhail Nassar.

An Israeli legal support group argued it could exacerbate tensions in London’s multi-ethnic communities.

The words “Heroes of Palestine” are written on the mural above the journalists’ heads and, below, the words “all eyes on Gaza” have also been painted over a Palestinian flag.

Alia Shaikh, who owns and lives in the house where the mural was painted, said she personally commissioned the piece after feeling “powerless” about the Israel-Gaza war.

She said: “I think it’s important for young children to have good role models.

“They’re heroes. Without them, we’d have no idea what’s going on.”

She said Redbridge Council had visited her but was adamant the mural would remain, adding it had been widely supported by the community, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She explained: “I didn’t break any laws. We shouldn’t be bullied into doing something and standing up for what we believe.”

A group called UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLI) says Redbridge is one of a number of councils, including Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Worcester and Lambeth, with murals, signs or artwork that “promote division”, and has called on Redbridge Council to it washes.

In a statement, the group’s director, Caroline Turner, said: “Councils are required by law to have regard to the need to promote good relations between different religious and ethnic communities.

“Murals do not foster good relations between different communities and have proven divisive in the locations where they were painted. Many have already been defaced.”

Similar murals in Shoreditch and Hackney, depicting journalists and doctors, have been daubed with Stars of David and messages condemning Hamas, the group that rules Gaza.

Ms Turner added: “Councils have the power to remove these murals and should do so as a priority when murals promote a part of the current war, given their impact on community cohesion.”

Creative Debuts has produced various other murals in support of Gaza in London and other cities, as well as for other campaigns.

Founder Calum Hall said the Ilford mural commemorated journalists who showed “incredible resilience and courage” in the face of “unspeakable horror”.

He said the group was “not trying to antagonize” anyone, adding: “It’s a pretty neutral and non-controversial way to show solidarity and raise awareness.

“We have to look at what is happening and the wider context around it.

“The enemy is not a doctor, it’s not a journalist – it’s human beings in impossible situations, trying to survive and help people.

“It would be totally different if we painted Hamas battalions on the side of a wall.”

UK lawyers for Israel argue that the placement of the Ilford mural contravenes section 224 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which prohibits unregulated advertising.

Ms Turner added that the mural was “in fact an advertisement, advertising the Palestinian cause” and that it breached the planning act “as it was displayed without the consent of the local authority”.

Mr Hall said it was ‘nonsense’, arguing: ‘It’s a work of art; obviously, it’s not an ad.”

He added that there would be a “chilling effect on street art and visual campaigning” if Redbridge Council accepted the allegation that the mural constituted an advertisement.

A spokesman for Redbridge Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was looking into the situation but declined to comment further.