The racist graffiti on the George Floyd mural in Stevenson Square has been covered while the mural is restored.
Cllr Nigel Murphy, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "We have been made aware that the George Floyd memorial in Stevenson Square has been defaced with racist graffiti. It is utterly sickening that this type of behaviour exists in our society. We are currently reviewing CCTV footage in the area and we will do everything we can to find out who committed this abhorrent crime. Manchester is a place that celebrates our diversity and we will not tolerate hate in our city.
"In the short-term we have chosen to cover the mural because it's intolerable to see such language on our streets. It is possible to clean the graffiti from the wall, but this will most likely also remove part of the mural. Our preference is to work with the artist to paint over the offending graffiti and restore the mural of George Floyd as soon as possible."