Joe Biden mural defaced with Gaza protest message in Ballina

A mural of the US president Joe Biden in Ballina, Co Mayo, has been cleaned and restored following its defacement in an apparent response to US support for Israel in its attack on Gaza.

The graphic mural was erected by volunteers to mark Mr Biden’s ties with the town, which he visited last April and in 2016. In the months since, it has become a much admired fixture, known affectionately and simply in the town as “Joe”.

However, it was vandalised by red paint in an apparent response to US backing of Israel’s military operations, and the words “Genocide Joe” scrawled underneath.

“I understand that some people are unhappy with Joe Biden’s approach to the Middle East, and that’s fine, but I think there’s a better way to express that other than ruining a piece of work that volunteers put a lot of time and effort into,” said local Fine Gael councillor Jarlath Munnelly.

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A number of local sources said the artwork was restored to its original condition on Friday by the same volunteer group who erected it earlier this year.

Pictures of the defaced mural appeared on social media on Friday and were reported in local media.

Mr Biden’s great-great grandfather Patrick Blewitt was born in Ballina in 1832. Since the arrival of the president’s mural in the town in 2020, it has drawn much international attention. It aired on a piece on NBC news while Forbes magazine said it was Ireland’s “hottest photo op”.

Ballina’s Fianna Fáil councillor Annie May Reape said the incident had caused some disappointment.

“It was lovely to have [his visit to the town] as a memory,” she said. “Ballina still talks about it, we really enjoyed that visit.”