Scandal – Hungarian political party impersonating British street artist?

Hungarian news portals were sent into a frenzy trying to identify the artist behind an artwork of Orbán Viktor that appeared on the walls of a house in the 7th district in Budapest. The artist was believed to be Banksy, the British graffiti artist. However, after much speculation and an email from Banksy himself (or herself?), it turned out that it was all a scam and a Hungarian political party was the mastermind behind the prank.

Initial theories about the person behind the graffiti

According to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, the graffiti appeared on the corner of Dob Street and Rumbach Sebestyén Street. The style is very similar to what Banksy is known for and the name of the artist appears next to the drawing as well.

The image depicts Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, sitting on Thomas the Tank Engine, which is a clear reference to the somewhat controversial Felcsút railway line.

Banksy is known to be politically active and is not afraid to speak out on various issues. Many people believed that the drawing proves the artist, whose identity is still unknown, has visited Budapest. This theory was supported by the fact that the band Massive Attack was performing in the capital’s László Papp Sports Stadium last Saturday. Their frontman, Robert Del Naja, is one of the suspects who is thought to act behind the Banksy pseudonym.

Response by Banksy

However, as the day progressed and more and more people joined the investigation concerning the person behind the drawing, the news got to Banksy, too. According to hvg.hu, the unidentifiable street artist responded to index.hu’s queries and denied having anything to do with the artwork. The short but precise answer coming from the official Banksy email account reads as follows: