Banksy Mural Removed: 'No Ball Games' Cut From Tottenham Wall And Residents Aren't Happy

A well-known mural by street artist extraordinaire Banksy has gone missing in Tottenham this week. That's right, another one of the cheeky graffitist's works, titled "No Balls Game," has been cut out and removed from its home on a shop wall, prompting UK residents to once again lament the disappearance of an iconic work of street art.

The source of the mural's removal is unknown, according to The London Evening Standard, but "No Balls Game" has already been put up for sale by the Sincura group, the same organization that sold the last "stolen" Banksy mural. That mural, the iconic "Slave Labour" image, was ripped from the side of a Poundland store last year only to be sold to an unknown buyer for more than $1 million at auction.

Sincura's director, Tony Baxter, refused to name the source of the latest sale, reports the BBC. He did remark that the work will be restored over the next several months leading up to its planned auction in the spring of next year, with proceeds going to charity.

Community members in Wood Green were quick to protest the sale of "Slave Labour," so we imagine Tottenham residents will do the same. As for the owner of the shop where "No Balls Game" was located... he seems fine. "[The landlord] said they were taking the painting, and asked if I minded that there would be some work done at the side of my shop," Alkin Ali told the Standard. "I said that was okay. They began work on Sunday.”

In the meantime, the second Banksy removal leads to a renewed discussion of what constitutes theft in the street art realm and who really owns these valuable works of graffiti. Let us know where you stand on the topic in the comments.