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The hundreds of messages of love and support covering the Marcus Rashford mural will be preserved
Hundreds of handwritten notes and letters have been left at the mural
The messages of love and support left on the Marcus Rashford mural will be preserved and potentially put on a permanent display, it has been confirmed.
In the hour after England’s Euros 2020 defeat to Italy on Sunday evening, the Withington mural was vandalised with sickening and hateful graffiti.
A social media user alerted the rest of Manchester to the vandalism on Monday morning, sharing photos on Twitter and writing: “Someone vandalised Marcus Rashford’s mural last night. Do you know how sick in the head do you have to be to do that? This is a f*****g disgrace.”
The very next day, however, Manchester did what it does best; locals worked together to cover up the hateful graffiti with their own hand-written messages and notes of love and support. People left flowers, photographs and letters addressed to not only Rashford, but to Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho, the two other players who fell victim to racist abuse following the match.
Rashford spoke out on Monday evening, saying he was ‘on the verge of tears’ over the response to his mural. He wrote: “The messages I’ve received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears. The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up.”
But, as the days trickle by, people can’t help but wonder: What will happen to the hoards of hand-written letters, notes and gestures left by the people of Manchester?
Well, it has now been confirmed that the hundreds of heartfelt notes on the mural will eventually be removed but will be preserved in some manner.
Ed Wellard, the co-founder of Withington Walls and the man who commissioned the mural, said a final decision had yet to be made but the notes would be ‘retained, recorded and if possible displayed. He added that ‘there is a lot of cultural capital there,’ as per the BBC.
Further details on how or where the artefacts will be preserved are yet to be confirmed.
Greater Manchester Police continue to appeal for any information on the culprits responsible for vandalising the Marcus Rashford mural in Withington – anyone with information can contact the police on 0161 856 4973, quoting 453 of 12/07/2021.
You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.