Artist vs total asshole

The article in the Londonpaper March '09

Here's an article I meant to put up a while ago while it was fresh, but last night I was in Dalston and it sprung to mind. In March Banksy put up a piece on a building in Gillette Square, and Adam Hart, the building owner, was going to apply to have it protected under a planning permission law (see attached clipping).

Banksy's stencil in Gillette Square, Dalston

Going...

Going...

Gone!

Unfortunately for him, some complete fuckwit decided that it'd be a good idea to go over it. Now this makes me kinda angry, and hightens the public debate in favour of graffiti being vandalism when a piece of street art (still considered vandalism by law, but with obvious artistic and aesthetic merit) is countered by an ugly scrawl with the aesthetic merit of a Friday night piss puddle.

I know there is still a large public split on this debate, but what would you rather see - art, shit, or a nude wall? I'd be interested in your opinion...