A man has been arrested for painting over Sydney’s LGBTQ+ community shrine to late pop legend George Michael.
The street mural dubbed ‘Saint George’ — which was painted by ‘Kissing Kanye’ artist Scott Marsh in the city’s inner-west earlier this year in tribute to the gay icon’s incredible cultural legacy — was defaced with homophobic slurs and pelted with eggs during the heated marriage equality postal vote period.
It was then vandalised again over the weekend, with a man caught on camera painting over the artwork — which depicts Michael as a religious saint, complete with a rainbow halo and robes while holding a lit joint and a bottle of amyl nitrate — while telling onlookers “I’m defending my religion”.
Now, as the ABC reports, police have issued a 23-year-old man with a court attendance notice over a charge of graffiti in relation to the defacement, and residents have already given his alleged handiwork their own marriage equality makeover:
The man is expected to face the Downing Centre Local Court on December 7th.
Meanwhile, Scott Marsh — who was recently in the spotlight for painting a ‘Happy Ending’ marriage equality mural of former PM Tony Abbott and Cardinal George Pell (which also got vandalised less than 24 hours after it went up) — has promised that Saint George will “be back bigger and better than [ever] (and with a graffiti proof coating)”.
We have Faith in you, Scottie.
