London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Cardiff's 'Mona Lisa' mural removed for McDonald's ad

Cardiff's 'Mona Lisa' mural removed for McDonald's ad

A mural known as Cardiff's "Mona Lisa" has been painted over to advertise McDonald's burgers.

The artwork, in the Butetown area of Cardiff, was created last spring to promote diversity and inclusion.

Months later it was vandalised, which police investigated as a hate crime - but it has now gone completely.

McDonald's said it did not know about the mural and had "instructed the artist to repaint his original mural immediately".

In a response to Cardiff South and Penarth MP Stephen Doughty on Twitter, who asked "What on earth are you thinking?", McDonald's said the site was hired by a third party and it had been unaware of the mural.


But art project organiser Yusuf Ismail said the agency involved was made aware of the cultural significance of the mural, but were "dismissive" and went ahead with the "hamburger promotion" anyway.

"The agency were given all the information about the sensitive site, not just the fact that it's got an incredible piece of artwork on it, but that it was vandalised, probably racially motivated," he said.

"So they had all that information, this is something that they clearly knew about, and they still went ahead with it. The artist had nothing to do with it."

He added that "just a restoration of the mural isn't really sufficient" and said there needs to be "something with a bit of legacy behind it".

"Let's try to find a silver lining in all of this… something that will live longer."

The mural was painted over in mustard yellow, ready for the McDonald's ad


The mural was loved by many in the community, with children at Mount Stuart Primary School and St Mary the Virgin Church in Wales Primary School in Butetown fundraising to preserve the mural last year.

Mr Ismail said he was "completely devastated" when he realised "Butetown's Mona Lisa" was going to be painted over.

"That bit of art encapsulated, embodied, so much good about Cardiff, Wales.

"I've always struggled with that issue of dual identity - am I Welsh, am I Somali? The truth is I'm both.

"With that one piece of art we were able to address that, to explain to people from different ethnicities... as long as you are in Wales and Cardiff, the city, the country embraces you and you should embrace it back.

"The mural has been painted over in mustard yellow... it's pretty tasteless."

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething tweeted that the removal of the mural was "staggeringly insensitive", while Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport Dawn Bowden said: "This is so bad. We can surely do so much better than this?"



The mural's subject Maimuna Indjai said taking part in the project meant a lot to her


 


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
×