Banksy Sprays the Tube with Sneezing Rats and Sanitiser

Banksy is back in London and he’s gone straight to the underground. Dressed as a TFL worker he’s been spraying rats on the tube and even managed an old school tag. All this while being filmed as he carried out his latest stunt.

Posting the finished video on his instagram account Banksy is shown in full PPE. Walking through the ticket gates heading to the tube. Inside he is shown with pre-cut stencils and an industrial spray cleaner. At one point he even appears to move a customer on from one part of the train. All so he is able to have the space to himself whilst stenciling his rats.

Banksy London Underground Video

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. . If you don’t mask – you don’t get.

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Banksy on the London Underground

As ever Banksy doesn’t reveal too much about his work. His instagram post contains only the line ‘If you don’t mask – you don’t get’. A clear reference to the Covid-19 situation where currently on the London Underground it is a requirement to wear a face covering. It’s currently unclear whether Transport for London were in on this latest ruse.

Throughout the video Banksy is seen spraying his iconic rats inside a tube carriage. Some seem to be playing around with face masks. One rat is shown using it as a parachute whilst another seems to be stuck trying to get one on. A different rat is shown hanging down from the handrail with a bottle of hand sanitiser. Underneath is a giant old school throw up tag saying Banksy. The throw up has been sprayed onto the end of the carriage using what appears to be a sanitiser solution.

A Banksy rat sprays a tag on the tube
Banksy rat paints a throw up on the tube. Picture via Banksy.co.uk

Banksy Rats on the Tube

The final rat is shown sneezing. The hand sanitiser super spray is used to depict the journey of the sneeze across the window. Lovely! Another nod to the transmission of Covid-19 and the importance of wearing a mask especially in enclosed areas.

Finally the video ends with the words ‘I Get Lockdown’ written on the wall of the tube station. Shot from inside the carriage the doors close to reveal two more rats. Between them is written ‘but I get up again’. The video ends with the Chumbawumba song which has inspired those particular lyrics.

The ‘If you don’t mask – you don’t get’ video was released by Banksy on his instagram on 14 July 2020. You can see if on Banksy’s page here.

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