Banksy mural at French UK embassy criticises refugee treatment

British street artist Banksy has painted a mural outside the French embassy in London appearing to criticise the use of tear gas against refugees in the port city of Calais.

The artwork appeared on Sunday evening in London’s Knightsbridge and features an iconic image of a young girl from the musical Les Miserables with tears in her eyes as tear gas billows towards her.

Next to the mural there is a code that if scanned by a mobile phone directs the viewer to a seven minute video of French police using tear gas and rubber bullets against refugee camps in Calais on 5 January.

The French police allegedly tried to clear the Calais camps in order to create a 100-metre buffer zone between refugees and a motorway that is nearby.

On Monday morning workmen appeared to be taking down Banksy’s latest piece at the French embassy.

The developers of the building site next to the French embassy said they would be preserving the mural.

Mike Sadler, director of Cheval Property Management Limited, said: "Cheval Property Management Limited will be preserving the mural and is currently discussing future plans for the artwork."

The mural in London is the latest in a series of works by Banksy that profiles the Calais refugee camp.

Another piece by the artist highlights the fact that the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant.

However, this mural was vandalised over the weekend, and the image of Jobs has been graffitied over.

After the Jobs mural appeared Banksy released a rare statement accompanying the work.

“We’re often led to believe migration is a drain on the country’s resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant,” the statement said. “Apple is the world’s most profitable company, it pays over seven billion dollars a year in taxes – and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs.”