Banksy funds rescue boat operating in Mediterranean Sea to help ‘anyone in peril’

British street artist Banksy is funding a rescue boat, crewed by volunteers, to save refugees encountering danger in the Mediterranean Sea. The boat, named Louise Michel after a French feminist anarchist, was bought with proceeds from some of the Bristol street artist’s works. It has been operational since last week and has already carried out a number of rescue missions, including a mission rescuing 89 people from a rubber boat in distress. 

The boat features a painting depicting a young girl holding on to a heart-shaped safety float. Banksy repainted the former French Navy vessel in distinctive white and pink and launched it under its new guise. Louise Michel is 30-metre long and captained and crewed by a team of rescue professionals drawn from across Europe. 

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According to the official website, the vessel’s mission is “to uphold maritime law and rescue anyone in peril without prejudice”. The website says, “We onboard the Louise Michel believe we are all individuals, nationality should not make a difference to what rights one has and how we treat each other. We answer the SOS call of all those in distress, not just to save their souls - but our own”. 

(Image: @MVLouiseMichel/Twitter) 

(Image: @Brindille_/Twitter) 

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Banksy highlighting plight of migrants/refugees 

Banksy, who is a Bristol-born and who has kept his identity secret, is known for his political or social-commentary graffiti that has popped in cities around the globe. Last year, one of his painting depicting primates sitting in Britain’s parliament was reportedly sold for over $12 million at an auction. The street artist has highlighted the plight of refugees and migrants in past works. 

Back in 2018, Banksy even painted walls in Paris with murals on the theme of migration. In 2015, he sent fixtures from his temporary ‘Dismaland’ theme park in western England to an informal migrant camp in Calais, northern France. The same year, he also created a mural of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs at the location. 

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