Street artist restores his defaced unity mural in Peterborough

“I was upset with the defacing… It is more upsetting because I knew some of them who did it and it might be something against me that they have got and not the actual message,” Mr Murdoch said.

“I have got friends from such diverse backgrounds. So this fist pump artwork fits perfectly as a mutual sign of respect, a form of communication.

“I had reached a point in life where I thought racism could end at some point… but sadly I don’t think that now.

“It is a very strange time in the world with racial turmoil and politics in our everyday life.

“For me everything is a conversation.. If someone feels a certain way I am willing to listen even if I think it’s wrong, but then I expect them to listen to me at the same time,” he added.

Recently, two anti-immigration protests and counter-protests took place outside the Dragonfly Hotel in Thorpe Meadows, Peterborough, which currently houses asylum seekers.

Mr Murdoch said he has painted several pieces of public art around the city to symbolise “unity”, including the love heart art work on Taverners Road which received global recognition following the death of George Floyd in 2020.