Just one day after it was released, Banksy's new mural has been vandalized. The mural, a stencil of a girl shooting a bouquet of roses with a slingshot, appeared on February 11 on the wall of a building in the Barton Hill neighborhood of the city of Bristol, England. Due to the technique and style of the image, suspicions about its origin were immediate, and it was not until Friday, February 14, Valentine's Day, that Banksy himself acknowledged the authorship of the graffiti on his social networks.

However, the day after the new work was released, a Twitter user shared a photograph showing the new vandalized mural with the phrase “BCC Wankers” written in pink spray and accompanied by a heart. Although the meaning of the phrase is currently unknown, some internet forums indicate that it could be the acronym for “Bristol City Counsil.”

As a matter of security, the Simons family, owners of the building where the mural is located, made the decision to temporarily cover the work and install a temporary fence and a circuit of surveillance measures to protect it. Kelly Woodruf, a family member, told the media that the measures are temporary and solely for the purpose of studying the best way to restore the mural and protect it so that it can be enjoyed by the public.

With information from Artsy.net and Jornada.com.mx