Banksy & Guantanamo's Visit to Disneyland

British street artist Banksy put out this brilliant film recently called Exit Through the Gift Shop-- a film you would have to see for yourself to understand what it's about.  In the course of the story, Banksy and filming Frenchman Thierry Guetta travel to Disneyland to install a Banksy piece.  The piece he's leaving on this occasion, however, is the somewhat controversial, life-size figure of a Guantanamo detainee in orange suit and black hood.  (This is 2006, mind you, 5 years after Guantanamo's opening its doors to terrorists and innocents.) Banksy inflates the figure, places it inside a fence next to a train ride, and walks off.

A pleasant day in Disneyland, 2006

 The reaction that ensues is telling of the secrecy and fear surrounding the issue of Guantanamo.  A few people gather to look and take pictures.  The train ride that was flying by the figure is put to a halt.  Thierry, who had been capturing all this, senses danger and starts to walk away.  He notices one man following him, two, three, four.  Finally they grab hold of him and lead him away to interrogate him in a room where they tell him he's in BIG trouble.  One of them claim to be from the FBI.  They drill him, but Mr. Guetta of course denies all connection with the perpetrator of the crime, manages to delete or hide all evidence, and four hours later comes back out into the perfect world of Disneyland.   

Do Disney officials normally carry out lengthy interrogations when dolls are left behind after a day in the park?  It's likely that kids drop dolls and toys daily in that vicinity.  Then what was so threatening about this doll?  That it was life-size?  No, but it was a symbol that makes those who would carry out brutality afraid.

As you can see from pictures below, Banksy continued the work of sneaking Guantanamo figures out into public.

City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol, UK, 2009

Escape from Guantanamo