Banksy depicts Steve Jobs as refugee in latest work

Street artist Banksy has unveiled a new piece of artwork – sprayed on a wall in a refugee camp in Calais, France – in an effort to comment on negative attitude expressed by many towards Syrian refugees. But the artwork stars a surprising public figure – Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

The painting – shown on the artist’s website – depicts the late Jobs carrying a black bag over his shoulder; an original Apple computer in his other hand.

In a rare statement, Banksy said Apple wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for refugees.

“We’re often led to believe migration is a drain on the country’s resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. Apple is the world’s most profitable company, it pays over $7 billion a year in taxes – and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs,” the artist said.

View image in full screen

Banksy has been quite outspoken regarding the ongoing refugee crisis.

In September, he donated material from his Dismaland amusement park to the Calais refugee camp – often referred to as “The Jungle” due to the conditions.

Thousands of refugees are living in the Calais camp seeking entry into Britain. Reports have described the camp as “diabolical” and “obscene.”

“The conditions are beyond awful – the image of what we encountered in the Jungle still haunts me. No sanitation, no health care, no security, no refuse collection, and no roads – just tracks of stinking mud full of litter and human detritus,” read a report about the refugee camp written by David Kraft for The Guardian.