Banksy auction donated to anti-arms group

A NEW Banksy piece has sold for more than £200,000 at auction.

The artwork, named Civilian Drone Strike, depicts drones destroying a child-like drawing of a house while a little girl and her dog watch on in horror.

It was sold for £205,000 at an exhibition set up to oppose an arms fair taking place in east London.

The money raised will be split between two organisations: Campaign Against Arms Trade, which seeks to abolish the international arms trade, and Reprieve, which fights for human rights.

Andrew Smith, of Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “This money will be used to ensure we mobilise even more people against the next arms fair, so that we can stop it from happening. It’s time to shut it down for good.”

The Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) fair, held at the Excel centre in London’s Docklands, hosts more than 1,600 exhibitors from 54 countries.

It allows buyers and sellers of arms to meet and make preliminary deals.

Banksy, an anonymous street artist, is famed for his anti-war, anticapitalism or anti-establishment artworks.

A number of other high-profile artists and activists have also contributed work to the Art the Arms Fair exhibition, including Peter Kennard, Guerilla Girls and Darren Cullen.