London has had an impact in the US. It’s a real victory for the people.” Claire Kober, Leader of Haringey Council, wrote to Arts Council England and the Mayor of Miami, Tomás Regalado, to ask them to intervene to stop the sale but it appears the decision to withdraw the item came from the gallery owners in consultation with their lawyers. The FBI refused to confirm reports they were asked to investigate. Several hours after the conclusion of the auction, the auction house issued a brief statement claiming it had persuaded the owners of the two Banksys to pull them from the sale. “Although there are no legal issues whatsoever regarding the sale of lots six and seven by Banksy, FAAM convinced its sellers to withdraw these lots from the auction.” About 30 potential buyers attended the sale of 106 lots listed in the catalogue for the modern, contemporary and street art sale in Miami’s trendy Wynwood neighbourhood. The three-hour auction continued with other early lots selling in excess of their asking prices. Critics have accused the auction house of dealing in stolen property but Thut insisted earlier in the week that the seller, who he described as a “well known collector ”, was the rightful owner and that the sale was legal. He added that his gallery had been inundated with emails and phone calls from the UK, saying that many of them were abusive or