'White lives matter' graffiti removed in Archway after two months
Mal Mitchell found the offending graffiti near to Archway Road bridge - Credit: Mal Mitchell
Graffiti reading ‘white lives matter’ has been removed from Archway Road steps although a resident is upset it took authorities almost two months.
Islington Council has said it condemns any racist graffiti and removed the message on June 10.
Archway resident Mal Mitchell wrote to the authority on April 14 with concerns of its proximity to several local schools.
A follow-up email said: “As you will know, this graffiti at the bottom of Archway Road steps is seen daily by school children.
“Whatever they have been told in school on any given day, for the last several months (at least) they will be reliably getting the clear message before and after their classes that ‘white lives matter’ - and that however many members of the public may see this message, they don't care to report it and/or those to whom they report don't care to do anything about it.”
Islington Council responded to the email but Mal was concerned that it took until June 10 for its removal. The council said officers have continued to monitor the area since the removal of the graffiti.
“There is no place for hate in Islington,” a statement read.
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“We support the Black Lives Matter movement’s work towards increased racial equality and awareness.
"We condemn any attempts to undermine that mission and see graffiti like this as part of the problem, which is why we will not tolerate it. We are proud of our diversity in this borough – it makes us stronger, which is something our community has shown time and time again.
“Any instances of racist graffiti are reported internally to our community safety team, who keep an eye on affected locations as part of their monitoring work.
"They regularly share such information with colleagues in the police, working in partnership to keep our communities safe.”
