Thursday 7 September 2017

Street Artist Banksy Arrested And Unmasked at Art Exhibit In Palestine Is A Hoax

Wikimedia Commons


Reports that Banksy was arrested and publicly unmasked at an art exhibit in Palestine are false. Rumors that the world-famous street artist was arrested at his London art studio by police, who later revealed his true identity, stemmed from a network of fake news websites.


According to Hoax Alert, the fake claim was published on multiple fake news and satire websites, including the Nevada County Scooper and News Examiner. The article, and an accompanying fake video, claimed that Banksy had been identified as Paul Horner, who was charged with vandalism, conspiracy, racketeering and counterfeiting. It purported:


The elusive graffiti artist, political activist, painter, film director and long time fugitive that for years has gone by the pseudonymous name of Banksy, was arrested early this morning by Palestine Police. After hours of questioning the suspect and a raid of his London art studio by police, his true name and identity have finally been revealed.


Palestine Police, working in close connection with a London Anti-Graffiti Task Force say Banksy’s real name is Paul William Horner, a 38-year old male born in Bristol, England. The BBC has confirmed this information with Banky’s PR agent Jo Brooks along with Pest Control, a website that acts as a handling service on behalf of the artist. Horner was arrested at his latest art exhibit in Bethlehem, The Walled Off Hotel, which has been open to the public since March of this year.


The report, however, is entirely fabricated. Horner is actually a hoaxer who has bylines under the name of Jimmy Rustling on fake websites masquerading as ABC, CNN, CBS and more. He has convinced thousands of people that he is, in fact, Banksy on numerous occasions through hoax articles, including one that claimed he was arrested in London in 2014. He is, of course, not the real Banksy—the actual street artist’s name continues to remain hidden. Additionally, the NC Scooper states in their disclaimer that their articles are not meant to be taken seriously:


The Scooper is a satirical website is in scope and intent. Sometimes it’s funny; often it is not. It provides social criticism in a satirical, sometimes news-genre setting. Sometimes it’s just plain-old crappy writing with a few bad jokes.


We are not a “fake news” site, but rather an entertainment one. Fake news is propaganda and we’re just a bunch of smart asses. Our intention is not to fool or trick anyone, but obviously it happens. We firmly believe that you can soften a person’s willingness to listen by injecting irony and humor into the conversation.


While the report is fake, the Walled Off Hotel is a real art exhibit. The dystopian art hotel opened in March with a goal “to break even and put any profits back into local projects” in Bethlehem. It contains works of art, a museum, a gallery and will soon feature a gift shop, which The Guardian reports will sell new works by Banksy. The elusive artist’s identity is still not publicly known, despite numerous reports over the years claiming that the mystery was solved.



Here are some examples of people sharing the fake story on social media:


Social Media Shares Fake Story about Banksy Being Arrested and Unmasked at Art Exhibit












Have you seen the fake story about Banksy being arrested and unmasked at an art exhibit in Palestine circulating social media? What are your thoughts on the artist’s work? Sound off in the comments section below!


Photo credit: Scott Lynch, Wikimedia Commons



Source: B2C
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