There is controversy over the disappearance of the mural, as a portion of the wall was physically removed from the building the artwork was sprayed upon. The owners of the building have not commented on whether it was legally or illegally sold and removed. When the mural disappeared in February 2013 it was listed for sale on an on-line site and later appeared for sale at the Fine Art Auctions Miami for half a million dollars ($500,000). The auction house insisted the artwork was acquired through a legitimate transaction with a "well known" collector." The listing of the art at auction outraged some Wood Green residents, who believed the work was a gift to them, and that listing the artwork for sale at auction contradicted the wishes of the artist whose message called for an end to exploitation in the name of capitalism. Despite claims that the acquisition of the artwork was legitimate, the FAAM director Frederic Thut withdrew the artwork, even after three bids had already been placed. On 22 February 2013, a stencil of what is believed to be Banksy's signature rat holding a sign saying "Why?" appeared on the right of the area where the "Slave Labour" mural once stood, To the left of that space, appeared the message ‘"Danger Thieves." The rat artwork was covered in plexiglass to protect it but a representative of Banksy claimed that the rat is a fake, and other Banksy enthusiasts agree.
Eventual sale of mural at auction After protest from the residents of Wood Green the mural was returned to the UK. On 3 June 2013, it was on sold for over £750,000 (US$1.1m) by
Bankrobber London at an auction held in the basement of the
London Film Museum in
Covent Garden by the
Sincura Group. It was sold again in 2018 at
Julien's Auctions in
Los Angeles, United States for $730,000 (£561,000) to artist
Ron English, who planned to
whitewash the work in protest against purchases and sales of street art. ==Interview with Banksy==