Abbott, Pell same-sex marriage mural defaced overnight

A MURAL aimed squarely at same-sex marriage opponents Tony Abbott and George Pell was defaced just hours after it was completed.

Street artist Scottie Marsh's defaced mural. Picture: Instagram

IT was a happy ending that didn’t last long.

A savage same-sex marriage mural in Newtown, which was completed only yesterday, has already been vandalised and partially painted over.

The mural by street artist Scott Marsh was painted on the Botany View Hotel in the Sydney suburb of Newtown in the wake of yesterday’s Yes result announcement in the same-sex marriage postal survey.

The mural shows former prime minister Tony Abbott wearing a wedding dress and Cardinal George Pell wearing rainbow underwear, and is titled “The Happy Ending”.

Hours after he shared the finished version of the mural on Instagram, the artist shared another shot, in which Pell’s face had been covered by paint.

The artist had completed the mural about 5pm on Wednesday, Broadsheet reported.

Marsh told the publication the publican of the hotel had phone him and told him he had taken the pub’s phone off the hook “because of the religious folk calling the pub non-stop all night”.

And it wasn’t just opponents of same-sex marriage who were voicing their concerns.

“Absolutely stunned! As someone who voted Yes and believes there should be equality for all, I’m gobsmacked by the distasteful mural that now adorns your wall,” one commenter wrote on the review’s section of the pub’s Facebook page.

But others came out in support of the hotel. “Great place to duck away from the hoards (sic) of No Voters who choose to 1# a place they’ve never been to”, was one supporter’s comment in response to the flak the pub was copping online.

It’s not the first time Marsh has used Abbott as a subject: a previous artwork contained dual depictions of the former prime minister — one in a suit, the other in a wedding dress, getting married.