Ploiești PSD calls for the rainbow paint to be removed from the statue of Mr. Goe, which was painted as part of an urban art project

Ploiești PSD is calling for the rainbow-colored paint to be removed from the statue of the character Mr. Goe, located at the city’s South Railway Station. The artwork was altered as part of the ARTOWN Now urban art project, and the intervention has sparked political reactions and public controversy.

The Social Democrats claim that the statue, inspired by the character created by Ion Luca Caragiale, was “desecrated” and are calling for it to be restored to its original appearance. Ploiești PSD says the character’s sailor costume and beret were covered with paint and labels, and accuses the organizers of promoting an ideological agenda through urban art.

In a public message, the organization called for the statue to be cleaned urgently and described the intervention as a provocation directed at the community. The position was preceded by a similar reaction from Prahova PNL deputy Mircea Roșca, who said he was dissatisfied with the artwork’s new appearance and called Mr. Goe a symbol of the city.

The politicians’ messages prompted irony and criticism on social media. Several internet users questioned the interpretation of the character as a local symbol and accused politicians of using the issue for political purposes.

ARTOWN Now has reached its fifth edition and brings together more than one hundred Romanian and foreign artists, who create interventions on buildings, trams, and walls in Ploiești.