Describe the characteristics of the Vandalism in Mural of Marcus Rashford's History.
The painting was vandalized with the words "shite in a bucket, bastard", "fuck Sancho", and "fuck Saka" after those players and Rashford failed to score in a penalty shootout for England in the UEFA Euro 2020 Final, which meant Italy won the shootout 3-2. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, described the mural defacement as a "despicable, shameful act". Ed Wellard, co-founder of Withington Walls, worked to cover the profanity immediately; residents created a collage of supportive messages, flags, and hearts across the artwork, and Akse restored the mural. On 16 July, Manchester City Council announced plans to preserve the items left at the mural following the vandalism. A representative of the council described the public's response as a "Manchester moment we will all remember and should not forget", and BT created a virtual replication of the messages named the "Wall of Hope".A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said, "While the content of the vandalism is not believed to be of a racial nature, officers are keeping an open mind as to the motive behind defacing the artwork". Hundreds of people participated in an anti-racism demonstration at the mural, leaving Rashford "lost for words". Rashford was moved by the messages of support. He shared images of the collage and tweeted, "The communities that wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up... I can take critique of my performance all day long... but I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from." In October 2021, GMP released CCTV footage of a hooded man within the vicinity of the mural at 23:40 BST on 11 July, who they believed may be responsible for the crime.
BT Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham Saka Sancho Manchester Italy BST UEFA Euro 2020 Final mural Greater Manchester Police Withington England CCTV Manchester City Council