Pro-Palestine artwork removed by Bristol City Council after being ‘deemed offensive’

A homeowner in St Pauls was shocked to discover the pro-Palestinian artwork displayed on his front gate had been removed by Bristol City Council. Suhail (Sui) Abid, who has continuously displayed different pieces of his own artwork on his the gate for the past eight years, said it was the first time anyone had painted over one of his pieces.

The artwork was a series of small heart shaped Palestinian flags with the words below, ‘Israel child killers’ and '10,000 and counting', which represented the number of children at the time that had been killed in Gaza since Israel began strikes on the region following the October 7 Hamas attacks last year.

Mr Abid said he woke up one morning last month to find that his artwork had been painted over. He told Bristol Live that he obtained CCTV footage from the shop opposite his house and discovered that a Bristol Waste worker had been responsible for the removal of his artwork.

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Email correspondence between Mr Abid and Bristol City Council shared with Bristol Live shows that the local authority initially denied any knowledge of the artwork, however later admitted that an employee from the Bristol Waste team had been instructed to paint over the artwork following a complaint from the public.

When Mr Abid questioned how the council makes decisions on whether or not art is offensive, he was told that the fact a member of the public believed it to be offensive was enough for them to take removal action, despite the work being displayed on private property.

Mr Abid complained to the council, and an initial response from a customers relations officer, said: "Bristol City Council did not or has any indication who actually removed your artwork." However after contacting Bristol Waste for more information, he said he was told over the phone that the council had instructed the Bristol Waste team to remove the artwork from the property as it was deemed 'offensive'.

Mr Abid then emailed the council again and relayed his conversation with the waste department. He said “Your reply contradicts what the ‘waste’ team have told me via phone call on 02/04/24.

“They said that my artwork was reported as offensive and therefore there was no need for an indemnity form to be carried out with regards to private property. Who decides what is offensive?

“I can understand that maybe mentioning the ‘killing of 1200 children’ [could] be offensive but it is the truth and yes, the truth can be offensive to some but again, it is fact. However, removing other aspects of my artwork was not necessary.

“A simple consultation with myself could have helped immensely, instead of violating my property and my rights. I would therefore like an explanation as to why your (the council’s) reply denied the initial complaint and did not fully investigate prior to the most recent reply.”

Following this email, Mr Abid received a response from Bristol City Council confirming it had made a request to the Bristol Waste team to remove the artwork, following a complaint from the public. The email from the council said: “We have now established the background as to why this artwork was removed: A member of the public reported it as offensive.

“Bristol Waste Company removed the artwork, as any reports of offensive graffiti are removed without needing authorisation from the property owner. We trust this now clarifies.”

Sui has since painted a watermelon on his gate where his previous work once stood. The fruit which is now widely recognised as a Palestinian symbol on social media to avoid online censorship and ‘shadow banning’ , has been used by Palestinians since the six day war in 1967 when Israel seized control of the West Bank and Gaza, and annexed East Jerusalem.

Displays of the Palestinian flag became a criminal offence in Gaza and the West Bank following the 1967 war. The fruit which when cut open displays the colours of the Palestinian flag was used to avoid arrest and although the official ban was removed in the 1990s, the symbol re emerged after Israeli Police were given powers to confiscate the flag in January 2023.

Bristol Live has approached Bristol City Council for a comment.