Mural of Winston Churchill wearing stockings and suspenders attracts complaints from woke brigade – about the wartime leader giving his ‘V’ sign
- Mural of Winston Churchill was painted on a wall of a guest house in Brighton
- Guest house owner received a call from the council who told him to alter it
- But council called again claiming ‘decision had been overturned’, Mr Phillips said
- Depictions of Winston Churchill were hit with mass outrage amid BLM movement
A mural of Winston Churchill wearing stockings and suspenders and giving the ‘V’ sign has attracted complaints from locals who claim the hand gesture is ‘offensive’.
The mural of the wartime leader wearing lingerie was painted on a side wall of the Sandpiper guest house in Brighton by an illusive local artist who goes by the name Horace.
Guest house owner Mr Phillips – who only provided his last name – received a call from Brighton and Hove City Council who told him they had received complaints about the mural.
Mr Phillips – who was given three days to alter the image – called Horace as he feared local authorities would ‘ruin the painting’.
But the council made a u-turn at the eleventh hour, claiming the ‘decision had been overturned’, and the mural would not need to be changed because the gesture was ‘historically authentic’.
Churchill gave the iconic ‘V for victory’ salute during World War Two.
A mural of Winston Churchill wearing stockings and suspenders and giving the V sign (pictured) has attracted complaints from locals who claim the hand gesture is ‘offensive’
Churchill giving the iconic ‘V for victory’ salute on November 10, 1942, during World War Two
Horace, once-dubbed Worthing’s answer to Banksy, was the artist behind the mural.
The painting called Churchill rainbow was created as part of a series featuring well-known Brightonians and those with links to the city.
Winston Churchill went to school in Hove and, as the artist couldn’t find a picture with legs, stockings and suspenders were added to the mural instead.
A spokesman for the council said it had only received one complaint and mural would not need to be changed as the gesture was ‘historically authentic’.
Horace was amazed that the mural only garnered criticism for the V sign – and not the ladies’ underwear.
He said: ‘I was surprised when Mr Phillips contacted me, I thought the image might be controversial, but because of the stockings, not the V-sign.
‘It never crossed my mind that people would be offended by that as that’s what he was doing. As a result, I haven’t changed it.’
A statue of the former-PM was branded with the words ‘was a racist’ during demonstrations in the summer
Mr Phillips said he was ‘relieved’ at the council’s decision not to order that the painting be changed.
‘It is a victory for the Sandpiper guest house,’ he added.
Horace has also painted portraits around the city of rock singer Nick Cave and former model Katie Price, depicting her as Wonder Woman.
A council spokesperson said: ‘A couple of weeks ago we had one complaint about it, on the grounds that the V-sign was seen to be an offensive gesture.
Depictions of Winston Churchill (a statue in London, pictured) have been hit with mass outrage this year from critics who have accused the former-PM of racism and colonialism
Authorities barricaded the statue in before another wave of protests after it was vandalised
‘The member of staff who asked for it to be removed was advised by the owner that the gesture was in fact historically authentic.
‘Once we established that this was indeed the case we got back to the owner to apologise and to advise that the mural would not need to be changed.’
Depictions of Winston Churchill have been hit with controversy this year amid the global Black Lives Matter Movement.
Some campaigners have criticised Churchill for racism, colonialism and his handling of the Bengal Famine to the dismay of the politician’s supporters.
Churchill’s statue was defaced with the words ‘was a racist’ during demonstrations in June.
Following the graffiti, steps were taken to fully cover the statue which sits in a prime location on Parliament Square.
It was completely encased in a protective box in order to deter any further attacks.