Banksy Takes Aim at France's Callous Response to the Refugee Crisis with Poignant Murals in Paris. He's being credited with works that reference refugees, Napoleon, and the spirit of May 1968.

This work references Jacques-Louis David’s Napolean Crossing the Alps. Instead of Bonaparte, however, Banksy’s rider looks almost comical: A red cape blows back over the rider, covering their face, suggesting perhaps that the country’s leadership is blind. The red cape might also reference the country’s so-called “Burka Ban,” which was introduced by the French government in 2010. The law prohibited the covering of the face in public, including with religious garments such as the full burka or niqabs worn by some female Muslims.