The George Floyd mural in the Northern Quarter has been defaced for a second time

Akse’s mural in the middle of Stevenson Square has been targeted once again.

The mural of George Floyd has once again been defaced with graffiti in the Northern Quarter. 

Mr Floyd’s image has become an emblem for a worldwide campaign to stamp out racism following his death in Minneapolis, USA after being forcibly held down by police officers.

It has emerged the the artwork has been targeted once again with a large ‘N’ sprayed over it last night.

The artwork has been temporarily covered ‘to prevent further graffiti or cause any emotional damage to our communities’, according to Councillor Jon-Connor Lyons.

It is hoped the graffiti can be removed and artist Akse has been engaged to repair the mural once again.

In summer last year, the mural was targeted with vile graffiti, with a masked person spraying ‘n*****’ over Mr Floyd’s face. The painting was repaired however no one has been arrested or charged for the crime as of yet, despite CCTV footage of the culprit being released.

The circumstances of Mr Floyd’s death lead to a worldwide resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement, prompting the Manchester street artist Akse to create the mural. 

Speaking further on yesterday’s incident of defacing, Councillor Jon-Connor Lyons said: “Racism has no place in Manchester, we will not tolerate it and the Council will repair the memorial working with the artist.

“We’ll be working to review CCTV footage and any leads will be followed to find the culprit.

“Manchester is an inclusive, welcoming city with people from across the globe [and] this does not represent Manchester or Mancunians.

“Whoever did this has achieved nothing.”