Woman Claims to Have Caught Banksy on Camera Spraypainting in Melbourne

A YouTuber claims to have caught Banksy in the act on a Melbourne street.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Back in September, the internet was convinced that the still-unknown graffiti artist/political activist Banksy was actually Robert Del Naja (a.k.a. 3D) from Massive Attack, while scientists said they confirmed that he was actually a guy named Robin Gunningham. As per most questions about Banksy's identity, that never bore fruit. Today, shaky cellphone camera footage once again has the #BanksyHive in a tizzy, with outlets saying this might be the first time he's been caught in the act.

In the footage up above, the YouTuber (who's screen name is just listed as "Mia S") said that she was "walking home from work late last night and I was watching a street artist doing a piece in hosier lane. I double backed and pulled out my phone as he was finishing up." What she saw when she walked down the alley was this piece of what appears to be a stenciled image of Australian Senator Pauline Hanson with "please explain?" written next to her. For those who don't know, Hanson has been calling for an end of Muslim immigration and a ban on the burqa.

While there's been speculation regarding the "BANKSY" signature stencil on the piece (Daily Mail says this isn't the same he's used in the past), "Mia S" was convinced that she'd just found Banksy, who upon hearing her call out "BANKSY!" and start to follow after him, threw on his hoodie, covered his nose and mouth in a dab-like motion, apparently shouted "f*ck off!" repeatedly, then dipped down the alley.

Until Banksy drops word on the nature of this video, all we have is speculation. One thing that came out of the 3D/Banksy theory was the idea that Banksy isn't just one person, but a collective of people. Or maybe Banksy just has people doing his bidding so he doesn't get caught? Also, what's to say that Banksy wasn't behind this video, which is legit the only (public) video on the "Mia S" YouTube account? Something like this going viral is a) big for the Banksy mystique and b) big for making people aware of Pauline Hanson's f*ckery.

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