A council contractor has apologised after painting over a mural of the late poet and actor Benjamin Zephaniah in Birmingham.
The artwork appeared on the wall of an underpass in Hockley, central Birmingham, last month after Zephaniah’s death in December 2023 at the age of 65.
A spokesperson for Kier, the council contractor tasked with removing graffiti, said: “We accept the upset caused by our actions. Crews were carrying out their standard duties and there was no ill intent.”
The Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy organisation said it had received assurances from the council that the mural would be protected and was not happy to see it disappear and replaced with a blank wall.
Zephaniah’s brother Tippa Naphtali said the artwork’s removal “showed little respect for him or the community that held him dear”.
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Benjamin Zephaniah Family Legacy 